


Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: In the Wake of Fate

by Lugialvr1994



Series: Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Dawn of Civilization [3]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Complete, Established Relationship, Female Protagonist, Gen, Gen Work, Mostly Gen, Multi, POV Lesbian Character, Sequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:47:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 33
Words: 80,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24489226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lugialvr1994/pseuds/Lugialvr1994
Summary: In the Creekside Adventurers’ Society’s final grand adventure, they and their allies must go forth once more to defeat a new menace that harbors murderous intent. Failure in this mission will allow their dawning world’s future to be reshaped in a grim and brutal way.Update: 9/21/2020: The first spin-off story of this series, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: In the Wake of Eternity, has just begun posting. This new story does not strictly require having read all three main stories in this series first in order to understand it. See that story’s opening notes for more information.
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Female Character, Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Series: Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Dawn of Civilization [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1621558
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	1. Prologue: No Mercy

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome to the third and final installment in the Creekside Adventurers’ Society Trilogy. It should go without saying that I strongly recommend having read and finished both of the previous stories in this series before reading this story. I can see myself possibly writing more stories in this setting and possibly even in the Dawn of Civilization series in the future. However, this will be the final adventure for Annika and company. Thankfully, this story has begun posting very soon after its predecessor PMD: In the Wake of Gods. I did not allow for a long gap between installments in this series this time around. I should note that even though I decided to keep the “T” rating for this story, I will admit that this installment will have some moments and mentions of brutality that will likely outdo its predecessors. I am aware that the first two stories in this series arguably had some pretty serious violence by the standards of many Pokémon stories, so I am saying this upfront this time. Also, this story will feature humans to a greater extent than its two predecessors. I will not spoil anything else for the moment. 
> 
> Without spoiling anything else about the plot, I will also mention that this story features Pokémon from generations I-VIII. Like its predecessors it features Mega Evolution. This story features no other “gimmick” mechanics. It will also not include any content from the Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield Expansion Pass on account of being written and finished well before the first expansion’s release. Compared to Wake of Gods, this story will not be nearly as reliant on Generation VIII Pokémon and concepts. I should also note that this story does start with a prologue chapter from the perspective of a different character other than Annika, like Wake of Legends did. However, this prologue is almost the length of one of my standard full chapters.
> 
> This will also be the first of my Pokémon Mystery Dungeon stories with an official dedication. This story is dedicated to a certain friend of mine who has read pretty much all of my work on the archive. You know who you are. This person is the one who came up with the title for this story. He is also someone with whom I have had many disagreements, ranging from politics to Pokémon designs and gameplay mechanics. However, he is still one of the better people I know. I do my best to take his opinions and advice into consideration whenever possible. Thanks for everything buddy: your time, your input and your enjoyment of the cat pictures I occasionally send you, even though I am a dog person.
> 
> With all of that stuff said, this story is completed and edited as usual. I plan to post a chapter of this story every Monday and Friday morning until it is fully posted, barring exceptional circumstances. I also apologize in advance for the tabbing issues that this story will likely have at some point based on my past experiences. Now, I hope that you all enjoy the final adventure of the Creekside Adventurers’ Society. Thank you for reading this far and onward.

Just outside the walls of a coastal human village on the western edge of the Takadian Continent:

Vanessa stood at the front of her formation. Standing proudly, the female Blaziken was adorned with two crossed red sashes held together by a light green and black clasp. It was getting darker outside and Vanessa’s unit of roughly forty Pokémon were waiting for the return of one of their messengers.

As Vanessa scanned both the wooden stake walls of her target and the evening sky above it, she smiled as she saw a single Murkrow diving towards her force. The Murkrow was wearing a red and black sash of her own. She was also flying down towards Vanessa at top speed. 

When the Murkrow arrived, she fluttered in front of Vanessa and reported, “Company Head, Tacitus and his divers are nearing the village on the water. I saw a trio of medium sized-ships docked there. What are your orders, ma’am?”

Vanessa boldly replied to her whole force, “All units advance! We will surprise the humans with the hope that Tacitus and his divers are able to disable to ships upon their arrival. Remember that we are here to do what must be done. Show no mercy or pity to the enemy! We fight for the future and they fight only for themselves!”

As the assembled red sash-wearing Pokémon of the Crimson Company’s Takadian Division cheered, Vanessa dramatically pointed forward and led her loyal followers out from behind the trees that they had been taking partial cover behind. As she did so, the Blaziken knew in her heart that this would likely be one of the final raids of this type she would conduct. She had bigger plans in mind and had secured the backing needed to see them through.

The Crimson Company Pokémon advanced with the Murkrow air scout Selene leading their few flyers. As they did so, the few human guards standing atop or in front of the village walls in their metal armor and helmets pointed at the charging Pokémon and began to exclaim various things in panic. Vanessa did not care what they were saying, they would be silenced for good soon.

With Vanessa at their head, the Crimson Company charged the closed main gate as alarm bells began to ring around the village. The human guards in front of the gate readied shields and spears while the ones atop the gate opened fire with bows and crossbows as they were reinforced by their kin.

A well-aimed crossbow bolt knocked one of Selene’s air scouts from the sky as the main gate began to swing open. Vanessa ordered, “All who can, return fire! Selene, harry the snipers on the walls!”

The gate was now open and a phalanx of human guards with their spears and shields ready were now present. A few lightly-armored hunters with their bows out were standing behind them. A quartet of artificial Pokémon also marched out to engage the Crimson Company’s fighters. They were Falinks, multi-segment automatons built for combat by humans using means unknown to most.

Selene’s air units were now diving at the humans on the walls and brutally crashing into them. Selene was a Lieutenant of Vito, the actual Flight Leader of the Crimson Company’s air scouts. However, she was certainly pulling her weight on this raid. As for the Crimson Company’s ground force, a barrage of ranged attacks from behind Vanessa felled multiple human archers, some of them went down before they could even fire their second arrows. The four Falinks counter-charged at Vanessa’s troops. However, Vanessa’s followers were ready for them.

Vanessa leapt into the air with one of her legs alight and kicked the “brass” at the front of the closest Falinks hard. As arrows, bolts and energy blasts flew around her, she saw the hostile multi-segment automaton reeling from her strike. She then landed and grinned, pulling out a small stone from her pack.

As the main phalanx of humans held their ground, some of Vanessa’s Pokémon went right for them. A Golem rolled right into two human defenders and a Sandslash with an icy hide sliced two of the humans’ spear to splinters. Selene and her flyers were successfully covering their allies on the ground from the remaining snipers atop the walls.

Vanessa dodged one arrow and smacked another out of the air as it came right for her. She then gripped her Mega Stone, a gift from her recon leader Amara, and Mega Evolved.

The human phalanx was rapidly falling back, their spears making not much of a dent in Vanessa’s heavy infantry. Three Falinks still stood. However, they had only downed two of the Crimson Company’s soldiers so far.

Vanessa jumped into the air and then brought one of her legs down on a human guard who’s spear had been broken, slamming him into the ground. One of the Falinks tried to engage her from behind. However, three of her followers ganged up on the Automaton and pummeled it with attacks until all of its segments collapsed.

Vanessa pointed at the human archers and her backline followers instinctively launched another ranged attack barrage. Four human archers were felled, or badly wounded, in rapid succession by the bombardment. The guards making up the shield phalanx, or at least what was left of it, began to fully retreat into the village, calling out in panic as they did so.

Now, Vanessa led her followers inside the village as a few of them stayed back to deal with the two surviving Falinks. The guards atop the walls were also falling back now. She shouted, “Eliminate the enemy! However, do what you can to save the buildings and any valuable materials you may find. This place may serve as a useful temporary camp for us later.”

Vanessa’s soldiers knew that “enemy” meant every human they could find. Human civilians, both men and women, were now fleeing towards the village docks as the Crimson Company’s warriors engaged the few brave guards who tried to cover them.

Selene dive-bombed a human archer and began to slash into her with her talons and wings. Vanessa saw a pair of human guards advancing on her with their spears drawn. She rushed right for them and evaded their jabs. She then kicked each opponent in the face in rapid succession. The enemies collapsed and did not get back up.

With almost the whole Crimson Company unit inside of the village now, Vanessa ordered, “Check in the buildings! Flush out any enemies who may be hiding from us!” She then charged towards the village docks with most of her troops right behind her.

Vanessa and her soldiers charged through the village as the few humans left who could fight tried and failed to stop them. Some of her troops branched off to flush out any humans who might be in hiding. However, around fifteen of them were still following their leader directly. Vanessa knew that this village, soon to be a new Crimson Company camp, was almost clear of her hated human foes. 

As Vanessa and her followers charged past some buildings, pursuing the fleeing human non-combatants towards the docks, a few human adults picked up whatever tools or weapons they could and tried to hold off Vanessa’s rapidly advancing squad. They were trying to buy time for the young, old and generally weak to flee. However, Vanessa was not moved by their displays of bravery. The Crimson Company’s Pokémon tore into the few brave humans who tried to slow them down with shovels, scythes, knives or whatever else they could find and try to wield.

Soon, Vanessa and around ten of her warriors broke out into the open area just in front of the village docks. She could see, much to her annoyance, that one of the human ships had pulled out of the harbor hastily and was sailing away. However, a unit of aquatic Pokémon wearing red and blue sashes had already attacked one of the other two ships and rendered it a collapsing wreck. Now, the Crimson Company’s divers were in the process of attacking the docked ship that was still afloat before it could escape.

A group of around ten humans, including a few armed ones, were standing around the small harbor. They were not trying to board the docked ship that Tacitus the Tentacruel and his divers were trying to sink. 

At the head of the group of humans was an elderly man leaning on a walking stick. As the Crimson Company’s Pokémon faced of against their enemies, the man stepped forward and spoke. Vanessa was one of the few members of her unit who knew what he was saying. He asked, “Why are you doing this to us? Whoever you creatures are, we have caused you no visible harm.”

Vanessa grimaced and replied in the man’s own tongue, as much as she hated to use it, “It is not what you have done, but what you will do if left unchecked. Rest assured that your deaths will not be in vain. A better future will rise from the ashes of your species’ destruction.”

The old man looked truly taken aback by Vanessa’s response as his fellows cowered away from the waiting Crimson Company soldiers. The second docked ship was beginning to sink and soon the divers would be ready to help the ground squad finish their grizzly work. As more of Vanessa’s warriors entered the area, the old man responded, “Whatever you claim is coming, how can you be sure that we will cause it? I doubt that one such as you can see the future…”

Vanessa, who’s Mega Evolution had worn off by now, grunted in disgust with the human and ordered her squad, “Engage the other enemies! Someone relay to Tacitus that his unit should pursue the final ship and attempt to sink her before she makes landfall.”

As Selene flew over the terrified humans to carry out Vanessa’s orders the other Crimson Company members fell upon the mortally terrified humans on either side of the old man.

Vanessa bolted up to the old man and threw him to the ground before he could react to her attack. His walking stick clattered to the stone pavement as he looked up at her, anger, sadness and resignation in his eyes.

The old man coughed, “You still have answered none of my questions.”

Vanessa glared down at her victim and simply told him, as her subordinates dealt with the other human villagers, “I know what your kind are capable of because I have seen it firsthand!”

Before the old man could respond in any way, Vanessa took a deep breath and charged up one of her feet with fire. She then raised that foot and brought it down on her victim’s chest, hard. After all that she had seen and done, she was not about to show mercy to any human. Vanessa had been blessed and she was not about to let her blessing go to waste. This world would be the beneficiary of her actions, no matter who stood in her way.


	2. A Special Mission

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because the first chapter of this story is a prologue told from a different character’s perspective, I have decided to also post the second chapter of this story on the day of the initial posting. This chapter is the first one of this story written from Annika’s perspective.

\---

One early Spring morning two years after the Battle of Mount Galtia. The top of a hill immediately to the west of the Grand Island’s Eastern Coast, within sight of the closest coastal beaches:

Annika was lying prone on her stomach looking out over the area to the immediate east of her atop a tall hill. The Weavile head of the famed Creekside Adventurers’ Society was using a spyglass to survey an encampment located just inland from the nearby beach.

Next to Annika was her wife, the Lucario Alyssa. Nearby by them were a Samurott who went by Sylvester and a Drapion named Rocco. Circling above them were the Decidueye Scout Ryan, the Noivern ex-mercenary Drake and the Togekiss former “intern” Linda. Watching their backs were the amateur economist Typhlosion Leo and his wife the Primarina former dock worker Sapphire.

Annika heard a female voice from behind her asking, “Are these the slavers or not?” She then saw an Espeon taking up her position next to Sylvester. The psychic Pokémon was Zoella, more often known as Zoey, by her own insistence. She was the newest member of the CAS and officially the replacement for the Anetisian Ice Ninetales Princess Nia.

Annika handed the spyglass to Alyssa, who was also prone and Alyssa took it. It did not take the Lucario long to reply to Zoey, “Yeah, it’s them. The black chain symbol is all over their tents. I even see some beat up looking Pokémon in cages, almost certainly wild ones they captured recently. I do not know why they came all this way, though? I can only guess that things turned against them on the Tarkasian Continent past Takadia and they are trying to restart their operation here.”

Annika added, “Saladin’s tip was right after all. I guess that our merchant friend is good for more than just quality goods like our new spyglass. Regardless, I wish that Marcy was here with us now. Her stealth skills would prove invaluable in this operation.”

Rocco chimed in, “We all know that Marcy and Lawrence are committed to raising Ava for now. They will be back on active duty eventually.”

Sylvester added, “At least Leo and Sapphire think that Leona is old enough to handle herself at home alone now.”

Zoey pointed out, “We came here in the hopes of eliminating these slavers, now we need a plan to do just that.” She then turned to Annika and finished, “Your call, boss.”

Annika said, “Let’s take cover behind this hill and then get everyone together. We have all of our flyers and most of our society here. I have near-complete faith in our ability to deal with these slavers. However, that does not mean that we should engage them without any strategy.”

Alyssa nodded and admitted, “I have been keeping the possibility of this day arriving in the back of my mind for years. Those bastards once held me in chains, they treated me and many others like I was property and sold me to someone who I do not care to mention again.”

Annika nodded as the CAS members all headed to regroup behind the hill, she told her wife, “We will get these guys, Aly. We are all here for you, as we always are.”

As the trio of flyers came in to land, Alyssa nodded and mentioned, “I will keep scanning the area with my Aura Sense. That way, we will know if any of them are headed this way.”

Annika nodded as the ten adventurers formed a circle behind the hill. Once everyone was gathered, Annika looked over her team and said, “As far as we know, the slavers have not spotted us yet. There seem to be at least twenty of them in the nearby camp. However, I doubt that most of them are as experienced as we are. I intend for us to take them down today. However, we obviously should not just rush in and attack them head on. At the same time, we need to act quickly while a few of them may still be sleeping in, or a bit drowsy at least.”

Sapphire added, “We should also make sure to free their captives, wild as they are. They will be in no shape to attack us and should be grateful for being rescued anyway.”

Drake suggested, “We could always use the classic pincer attack. One team heads south and attacks from that direction while the other moves in from the north. That way, we will divide up the enemy’s forces and make them fight a battle on two fronts. They will be more likely to hesitate and make bad tactical decisions if faced with more than one group of incoming enemies.”

As Rocco and Ryan both nodded in agreement with Drake, Sylvester turned to Annika and mentioned, “We should also be careful to make sure that no enemies escape the area. We do not want these slavers to regroup later and continue their unscrupulous operations.”

Zoey smiled at Sylvester and nodded in agreement with the Samurott. She then told Annika, “It is your call, boss. What is our plan going to be?”

Annika did not take long to say, “We will go with Drake’s basic plan. Alyssa and I will go with Leo, Sapphire and Ryan and attack the camp from the south. Meanwhile, Drake will lead Linda, Rocco, Sylvester and Zoey around the hills and try to hit the camp from the north. Neither of our teams should focus on stealth at this point. We are going to try to panic and disorient our enemies and wipe them out quickly. Once all of the slavers are down, we will free the wild Pokémon they have in their custody, loot their resources and head back home. We are only a couple of days at most from Creekside by riverboat as is.”

Annika’s team members all saluted her in some way and then divided themselves up into their two assigned groups. Drake and Linda took off and then flew up into the sky together. Behind them Rocco, led Sylvester and Zoey north on the ground. Soon after the other team departed and began to head north, preparing to eventually turn south and make a beeline for the slaver camp, Annika motioned for her four remaining comrades to follow her.

Ryan took to the air as Annika and Alyssa led the way with Leo just behind them and Sapphire bringing up the rear. Annika and her comrades advanced around the hill and then began to head straight for the slaver camp that they had been observing before. Annika was sure that her team was going to arrive sooner than Drake’s team. However, their enemies were almost certainly going to see the other team coming right for them by the time that they engaged the closer group of adventurers.

Alyssa’s four aura-sensing organs were all tensed, she was clearly scanning the camp and its vicinity as she advanced towards it beside her wife. Annika kept her eyes focused on the camp as she was starting to get outpaced by Alyssa as they neared the series of tents marked with insignia that looked like black lengths of chain. There were a few basic barricades positioned around the camp. However, they did not amount to a real wall, or anything close to one.

As the five veteran adventurers closed in on their target, Alyssa reported, “Drake’s team is closing in as fast as they can from the north. I believe that some of the slavers have noticed them now. As for our front, I sense two auras coming our way now! There will be more coming in behind them to be sure.”

Annika nodded as she closely followed her wife towards the outer edge of the slaver camp. She could now begin to make out some of the camp’s occupants starting to be roused. They likely knew that someone was coming their way and fast.

As Annika and Alyssa were nearing one of the short wooden barricades that stood in front of some tents and reinforced cages, their team saw a pair of Conkeldurr marching out towards them. One of them asked his companion, “What kind of bandits are these guys? Do you think they can steal our captives and sell them themselves?”

The other Conkeldurr chuckled and responded, “They do not know our conditioning methods. They could just be raiders. Still, they look pretty tough, best not hold anything back.”

Annika was admittedly surprised to hear that the slaver brutes viewed her team as bandits. To be fair, the CAS members were not wearing any sort of identification. However, she still retorted, “We are not here to steal your slaves, we are here to free them!”

Alyssa drew and gripped her Mega Stone and a shell of energy surrounded her. She then added, “More importantly, we are here to bring an end to your depredations! You won’t be able to hurt anyone else once we are done with you!” Alyssa then charged up one of her Aura Spheres and tossed it right into one of the Conkeldurr, who staggered back and glared at her.

Ryan called down, “I see four Timburr heading this way along with an Excadrill! Permission to engage and slow them down?”

Annika called up, “Granted! Everyone else, engage the foes in front of us!”

The two Conkeldurr each conjured a barrage of rocks. One of the barrages landed on Annika and injured her repeatedly. The other targeted Leo who leapt out of the way of most of the boulders. Leo unleashed a torrent of fire against the uninjured Conkeldurr that had attacked him, singeing the foe’s chest and stomach.

Annika fired a blast of frozen air from her claws into the foe Alyssa had blasted. Sapphire then called out, “I’ll take him down!” The Primarina charged up a beam of pinkish fey energy and then blasted the badly-wounded Conkeldurr with it. The ray sliced into the foe and knocked him clean out of the fight.

As a pair of Timburr charged into battle, two others were hurling rocks up at Ryan. Their Excadrill leader had been slowed by a ghostly arrow Ryan had fired into him. Ryan expertly evaded one rock and the other did little to slow him down when it struck.

The surviving Conkeldurr was now being flanked by his two Timburr allies. He charged forward and struck Alyssa with one of his concrete bludgeons. Alyssa staggered back in pain. However, the mighty foe also looked weakened by the raw force he had employed in his attack.

Alyssa quickly counterattacked with a palm strike to the Conkeldurr’s upper chest. She shouted, “You have no right to fight back after all that you have done!”

Leo called out, “I’ve got the Excadrill!” His back then lit up with fire and he went crashing right through the barricade. Leo struck the Excadrill head on and badly wounded him.

Sapphire chuckled, “He always acts more bravely while I’m around.” She then took aim at a Timburr and knocked her out of the battle with a blast of fey energy to the head.

Annika dodged a rock thrown by the enemy Timburr who’s comrade had just fallen. She then retaliated by sniping her foe unconscious with a blast of frozen air. She then charged in to try and help Alyssa against the Conkeldurr she was fighting.

Ryan dived in and took down a Timburr in one hit with a well-placed strike from his beak. He then evaded a rock tossed by the one surviving Timburr.

The hostile Excadrill tried to throw some mud into Leo’s face. However, the Typhlosion rapidly dodged the attack and countered with a detonation of lava and fire that finished both the Excadrill and the Timburr who had just failed to snipe Ryan.

The Conkeldurr was now alone in his fight. He tried to kick Alyssa, but she leapt back to evade the strike. Annika then ran in and delivered a slash from her claws to the foe’s back. Her claws took on a metallic sheen as she sliced into the Conkeldurr slaver.

Annika’s surprise attack finally finished the wounded Conkeldurr. He toppled over onto his front and did not get back up. Alyssa smiled at her wife as her Mega Evolution began to wear off.

Annika called out, “All enemies are down in this area! Aly, what is the status of the other team?”

Alyssa focused her aura sense as her Mega Evolution fully wore off. She then announced, “Drake’s team is engaging a squad of six foes, with two more on the way. Linda and Drake are taking on their two flyers. So far, they seem to be doing fine. I suggest that we enter the camp now.”

Annika nodded and then led her team past the barricades. Ryan called down, “I see four Tangela on their way over here! There also seem to be two Tangrowth and a Krookodile getting ready at the center of the camp. They are moving the prisoner cages away from the action. Probably so that the fighting does not ‘damage the merchandise.’”

Alyssa added, “They will be keeping newly-captured slaves in weak condition. Therefore, they will want to prevent them from being injured further in the crossfire. I know how these creeps operate, since they had me in their clutches once.”

Sapphire told Alyssa, “We will get these guys. We have already taken out their rapid response team. Now, we are inside of their camp. With your Aura Sense, they cannot catch us off guard.”

Alyssa nodded as the four Tangela appeared from behind a pair of tents. Two of them advanced on Annika and Alyssa. The other two did not have much time to react as Leo practically incinerated one with a blast of fire from his mouth. Annika nodded to Leo and sniped the other with a blast of freezing air.

One of the Tangela shot out her vines to bind Alyssa’s arms to her sides. As Alyssa struggled, the other Tangela detonated a burst of poisonous spores in the air above Ryan, who narrowly evaded the venomous attack.

Ryan dived on the Tangela who had attacked him and dived bombed her out of existence with a sudden beak-first strike that tore into her. Alyssa was doing her best to break out of the vines squeezing her. However, Annika simply charged the Tangela holding her wife and tore into her with her claws charged with black light.

The Tangela reeled back and Sapphire finished her with one more beam of fey energy. Alyssa was now able to shake the vines off of her. She simply sighed and said, “Those guys were amateurs, a delaying action at best. …As for our other team, them have taken out four enemies and are fighting four others. One more foe seems to be heading their way now. However, they should be fine for now as I sense no other undetected slavers in the vicinity. I think that the Krookodile that Ryan mentioned is the slaver’s leader Josephus. I remember seeing him when he was just a Krokorok. We need to end him if we are to end this cruel operation.”

Annika nodded and then ordered, “We will make haste to the center of the camp! Once this is over, we’ll head back home and tell Saladin that his tip was good.”

Annika’s four comrades nodded and then they began to advance towards the center of the slaver’s camp. They had a job to finish. Annika had known that it was unusual for the CAS to take on mission without a formal contract, or a request for help. However, she would do anything for her Alyssa. Thankfully, her loyal friends were behind her as always.


	3. Josephus and Saladin

Annika was closely following her wife Alyssa into the center of the slaver camp nearby the Grand Island’s eastern coast. Alyssa had determined that their five comrades to the immediate north were facing off against five of the surviving slavers. Annika’s team was targeting the center of the camp where the Krookodile leader of the slaver band and two of his Tangrowth minions were awaiting them.

When they burst into the large clearing at the center of the camp, the adventurers saw the Krookodile, who was possibly the old slaver leader Josephus, awaiting them. They also saw the two Tangrowth Ryan had also spotted earlier.

Before combat could begin, the Krookodile angrily asked Annika’s team, “Who are you and why have you come here? Are you raiders, bandits, vigilantes?”

Annika replied, “I see that you are unfamiliar with us by reputation. We are the Creekside Adventurers’ Society and we have come here to put an end to your cruelty!”

As Ryan circled the area, Alyssa’s eyes narrowed and she added, “That voice, so you are Josephus. You probably don’t remember me, but your gang once held me in chains years ago back before I even had a name.”

Josephus blinked for a moment and staggered back ever so slightly. He quickly responded, “We’ve only ever captured one female Riolu… the one we sold to that strange Kabutops who seemed to think he was some kind of religious prophet. So, you came back for revenge…”

As everyone in the area tensed up, Alyssa called back, interrupting Josephus, “My name is Alyssa and we are about to do to you what we did to Lucius, my former master!”

As Alyssa gripped her mega stone tightly and Mega Evolved, Josephus shouted back, “You say that like it will be easy for you!” He then leapt up into the air and then dived into the ground almost as easily as many aquatic Pokémon dived into water. His dive allowed him to narrowly evade ranged attacks from both Annika and Sapphire.

Ryan dived out of the sky to engage a Tangrowth. The enemy managed to wound him with a mighty swing of one of her arms charged with black light. However, Ryan retaliated by striking her beak-first, ripping into many of her vines.

Leo blasted the other Tangrowth with a mighty blast of fire exhaled from his mouth. He nearly downed the Tangrowth in one hit. However, the foe angrily countered by launching a barrage of boulders into Leo, sending the Typhlosion reeling.

Alyssa called out, “I can sense his aura under the ground. …He is coming right for…” Before Alyssa could finish her statement, Josephus erupted from the ground and struck Alyssa with a mighty uppercut accompanied by dirt and earth shooting up into her.

Josephus saw Alyssa reeling back and grinned. Annika shouted, “Help Aly, Ryan!” She then sniped the Tangrowth that Ryan was fighting in the eyes with a frozen blast, taking her out of the fight.

Ryan summoned up a series of leaves around his body and blasted Josephus in the back with them. The Krookodile was sliced into by the barrage of dagger-leaves. The attack staggered him for just long enough that Alyssa could deliver a palm strike to his chest. Josephus clutched his chest and screamed in pain and rage.

The badly-wounded Tangrowth narrowly evaded a second fiery attack from Leo and then Sapphire blasted him with a wide sonic attack tinged with fey energy. The Tangrowth slumped over from the cone-shaped blast and was no longer able to fight.

Josephus leapt up into the air, screaming, “If I die here, than I will take as many of you interlopers with me as I can!” He then came crashing down to the ground and generated a massive shockwave that radiated out and injured all five of the CAS members in the immediate vicinity.

Annika and Sapphire were still in good shape. Ryan was looking a bit weakened. Leo was clearly on his last legs now and Alyssa was not looking much better.

Alyssa charged up one of her Aura Spheres and shouted to Josephus, “We are stronger than you! We will end your depredations today!”

Leo bombarded Josephus with stars of pure energy as Annika rushed in and hacked away at the lead slaver with her claws. Ryan took to the air and sniped Josephus with a spectral arrow and Sapphire shouted, “Finish him, Alyssa!” 

Alyssa nodded and then launched her Aura Sphere right into Josephus’s head. Before he could attack again, the slavers' boss toppled over and breathed his last breath. He was no more.

As Leo was breathing heavily, Alyssa’s Mega Evolution soon wore off. Annika saw a single enemy Krokorok running towards them in a panic. However, the slaver was downed by an Aura Sphere that came out of the sky from Linda and collided with her back at full speed.

Soon, Drake flew in as well and Rocco, Sylvester and Zoey followed on the ground. Now, all ten CAS members who had been assigned to the expedition were present at the center of the slaver camp. Terrified and weak looking wild Pokémon were cowering in reinforced iron cages that stood behind where Josephus and his two elite minions had stood.

Alyssa channeled a pulse of healing energy into Leo and then used the same power on herself. Ryan also received one of the healing pulses. Then, Alyssa tensed her aura-sensing organs, closed her eyes and announced, “There are no other hostiles in this area. I believe that we have routed these slavers.” She then continued, the emotion obvious in her voice, “Everyone, thank you for helping me with this personal mission. I know that Annika would have gone with me regardless of whether or not any one of you would. Regardless, I do honestly appreciate all of you being willing to help me find closure and make sure that nobody else will suffer at the hands of the band we just wiped out.”

Sapphire nodded and told Alyssa, “Don’t worry about it. We are all on the same team here. Lawrence was willing to mon our base while Marcy took care of Ava at home. We had no other immediate contracts and we knew that stopping those thugs would be the right thing to do. Now, why don’t we see if we can set these captives free and be on our way back home.”

Leo added, “Like when we finished off the Reavers of Yveltal, we should make sure to loot any money and other valuables we find here. Might as well not let them go to waste. …After we free the prisoners, of course.”

Zoey admitted, as the CAS members began to look for keys to unlock the cages and chains where applicable, “These slavers had a smart strategy, as vile as it was. Capture and condition wild Pokémon that weren’t part of larger packs or herds. That way, the victims of their enterprise do not have families or friends who could come to try and rescue them. Still, treating other Pokémon, even wild ones, as property is pretty monstrous.”

Sylvester added to Zoey, “You can say that again, dear. Especially considering that plenty of wild Pokémon have decided to join civilization of their own free will. Anyway, we will get these guys out of their cages and set them free. They will likely be natives of this area, so we won’t have to escort them back home.”

Annika nodded, remembering that Sylvester and Zoey having started dating soon after Zoey showed up in Creekside was a major part of why the Espeon had been admitted to the CAS. To be fair, Zoey had plenty of combat, research and exploration experience from her time as a lone adventuress before joining the CAS. Annika was pretty sure that Zoey had been trying to track down an ancient underground vault that was said to contain something called the “Army of Mew.” However, that was not relevant now.

The CAS members managed to locate the various keys to the cages and released the prisoners being held within. Slowly, but surely, the few Pokémon the slavers had taken since landing on the Grand Island began to leave their cages and the camp. They returned to the wild, somewhat confused, but grateful to be free and no longer in the slavers’ clutches. Annika’s team also managed to loot all of the money, provisions and other valuable items that they could from the camp.

The ten adventurers made sure to destroy the cages and tents as best as they could before setting off for Suicune’s River that evening. There, the riverboat they had rented to reach the coastline sat. A Vibrava guard and a Lombre pilot that worked for the merchant Saladin had been watching the boat for the adventurers. They set off for Creekside Town, intending to reach the port settlement the next evening at the latest.

When the riverboat carrying the CAS members and the two crew Pokémon arrived at the Creekside docks, it was the next night. Ryan returned to his wife Serena, the Wing Commander of the Creekside Scouts. Drake returned to his husband, the Unfezant Scout Zeke. Everyone else returned home to get some well-earned rest after having eliminated the nefarious slavers. Saladin’s two employees went off to get some rest and then report in to their boss. Annika had told them that she intended to visit the merchant, along with Alyssa, the next day. She knew that Saladin was still in Creekside for the foreseeable future and wanted to thank him for his tip and other assistance.

Alyssa seemed about as satisfied with herself as Annika had ever seen her. Just like when they had slain the mad Hierophant Lucius, Alyssa had expunged a dark piece of her past with the help of the rest of the CAS. The two of them returned to their house and went to sleep in each other’s arms.

The next morning, Annika and Alyssa were walking into the main marketplace of Creekside Town. This was the area they had toured during their first day together years ago. That had been while Alyssa was still in the service of the Acolytes of the Mystic Lands.

Alyssa seemed to be in as good a mood as ever still. She told her wife, “The world is rid of those slavers. However, there will always be those like them, willing to take advantage of the unfortunate and comparatively defenseless. We will have to stay vigilant, as we always are.”

Annika replied, as they neared the part of the marketplace where they remembered Saladin having set up his stall, “That is exactly why the world needs more folks like us, Aly. You remember that I brought up my idea of expanding our society into something larger, a guild of sorts, a couple of weeks ago.”

Alyssa pointed out, “I remember you suggesting that instead of us just inspiring foreign adventurers, like the Shawlia Adventurers League, passively, we should try to open up new offices in other towns and cities. I know that you also said that the new offices would have some degree of autonomy. However, they would be ultimately subordinate to our ‘Head Office’ here.”

Annika nodded and explained, “I just think that creating a larger adventurers guild would be a good ‘endgame’ for us. I started the CAS to make the best of my new life as a Pokémon. I ended up making some real friends, meeting and falling in love with you and becoming a heroine the eyes of many in the process. Now, I am wondering if I can give my existence here and the organization I founded a grander purpose. We can do more lasting good for more people if we expand out into the world in a coordinated way.”

As Annika and Alyssa reached the large blue and gold-painted stall that they knew Saladin operated, Alyssa replied, “That is very noble of you, darling. Come to think of it, maybe that should be our next major plan for the adventurers’ society?”

Annika nodded excitedly as the couple saw a male Flygon wearing a dark blue and gold scarf hovering over to the front of the stall and smiling at them. It was Saladin, the merchant who’s intelligence had been essential to the CAS learning about and locating the slavers they had just eliminated.

Saladin looked over Annika and Alyssa and told them, “It is good to see the two of you again. My employees reported in to me this morning informing me of your mission’s success.”

Annika replied, “The spyglass you sold us also came in handy during scouting. Your workers did their jobs well in transporting us and watching over the riverboat. As for the mission itself, the slavers are no more and we have destroyed their camp. We just came over to thank you for your tip.”

Saladin nodded and then seemed to remember something, he told Annika and Alyssa, “Your society member Lawrence came over here yesterday afternoon. He told me that the town watch had something to show you and that if I saw any other CAS members before he did, I should have them go talk to him. Apparently, he felt as though whatever is going on was important enough that it was confidential. He did not inform me of the exact nature of the situation.”

Annika looked and felt somewhat surprised. She then told Saladin, “In that case, the two of us should be heading off to our base. Thanks for the information.”

Alyssa nodded and added, “We will be seeing you later. For now, we better go and find out what Lawrence and the watch need from us.”

Annika and Alyssa quickly headed over to their converted warehouse of a base not far from the Creekside Town docks. When they arrived, they found the Togedemaru Lawrence sitting behind the main desk. He looked both pleased and relieve to see Annika and Alyssa.

Lawrence got up from the desk and walked over to the two females. He told them, “Well there you two are. I assume that your mission was a success?”

Alyssa nodded and replied, “We wiped out the slavers. More importantly now, we heard from Saladin that you had something to tell us and that the town watch is also involved.”

Annika asked, “What happened, Lawrence? Saladin mentioned that there was something that we needed to see in the watch’s possession.”

Lawrence looked Annika in the eyes and responded, “It is not something, ma’am, it is someone. Someone who wandered into town wet and exhausted after drifting down the river from the ocean. For the first time in years, a human has appeared in Creekside!”

Annika blinked in shock for a few seconds. She had known that members of her former species had inhabited her new world ever since soon after her initial transformation. She had even seen their handiwork in a few places during her travels and adventures. However, she had not met even one of this world’s humans yet. This was going to be the first time she had seen a human in around three years.


	4. Phira

Annika and Alyssa were standing in the CAS Base with Lawrence. The Togedemaru had just told them that a human had appeared in Creekside Town for the first time in years. Annika was still standing in shock at what Lawrence had just said. She was unsure of what to say, or even think, about the prospect of seeing a human again. At least this would be a human from this world, not one from the world Annika had been born on. Annika remembered that humans were the undisputed rulers of that world. There were no civilized Pokémon there.

Alyssa spoke first after Lawrence had dropped his bombshell. She said, “What do you know about this human? You said that they were somehow swept down Suicune’s River from the ocean and had been wet and exhausted when they walked into town. It sounds like he or she was the survivor of a shipwreck to me.”

Lawrence responded, “That is much is true. Alexander, the old dock manager, has been able to translate some of her speech and confirm that she was in a shipwreck. She is being quartered in the town watch building right now. When the girl entered Creekside, she was starving and terrified. She collapsed soon after being sighted by Watch Officer Jeremy and taken to Watch Captain Samson. He ordered her to receive treatment and food immediately.”

Annika snapped mostly out of her stunned state and replied, “So, it’s a girl. Still, why does Captain Samson need us to see her? Does he want us to help her get home?”

Lawrence explained, “From what they have told me so far, they want the CAS to hear what the girl has to say because apparently her ship was attacked on the ocean not far from our island home’s coast. The attack was made by hostile organized Pokémon. It sounded like the ship was fleeing its home port on account of an attack by similarly-dressed Pokémon as well.”

Alyssa admitted, “That does sound like a reason for us to be concerned. We better gather our members and head over to the Town Watch Headquarters. I remember that Zoey is pretty good at communicating with humans and has done so before. She at least claimed as much when she joined us in the first place on Sylvester’s recommendation.”

Annika nodded and then said, “Lawrence, you should stay here and mon the base for now. Tell Marcy that we are back when you next see her at home, or if she comes and checks in. We will go and gather our active membership and then head over to the watch headquarters. There, we will talk to this girl and see what she has to tell us. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.”

Lawrence nodded and then did his best to salute Annika and Alyssa with one of his very stubby arms. He went back over to the desk where he sat down as the two females left to go and gather their other friends and allies.

Annika and Alyssa managed to find Linda at home. They asked her to fly around the town doing her best to help gather the other CAS members on active duty and tell them to meet up at the Watch Headquarters. Linda did as she had been ordered to do and within the next couple of hours, all ten active duty member of the Creekside Adventurers’ Society were gathered in front of the Creekside Town Watch Headquarters.

The watch building was being guarded by a Spinarak and a Beedrill, both of them were Town Watch Officers. Floating out of the main door of the Watch Headquarters was a male Forretress. This armored creature was Samson, the Captain of the Creekside Town Watch since before Annika had first arrived in the settlement with Leo.

Samson looked over the ten assembled adventurers and told them, “Thank you all for coming. The human is waiting just inside in the main lobby. We believe, according to what Alexander has been able to gather, that her name is Phira. Spelled with a Ph, not a F, if I am correct.”

As Samson spun around in the air and began to float inside the watch headquarters, Annika nodded and then motioned for her comrades and wife to follow her inside.

When Annika entered the building and stood in the open lobby, she saw the Ariados Watch Officer Jeremy and one of his Spinarak assistants. They were watching over what appeared to be a human girl in her mid-teens wearing a basic light brown cloak. She stood up nervously when she saw the new arrivals.

Samson turned back to face Annika and her society members once everyone was in the lobby. He said, “I have been informed that Ms. Zoey here can speak the most common human language, possibly even more fluently than our dock manager. Zoey, would you do the honors of translating the girl’s speech, if you can manage it?”

Zoey nodded and then carefully stepped forward towards Phira. The Espeon cleared her throat and asked Phira something in a dialect that Annika could not understand. The only word that Annika recognized was Zoey’s own name. 

Phira looked a bit surprised at first and then replied to Zoey in the same unintelligible speech. Zoey looked back over to Annika and company and told them, “Yes, her name is Phira and she is sorry to impose on us. However, she is scared to leave Creekside because she is afraid of the creatures who attacked her home village. She fears that she may be the only survivor of the battle and its aftermath.”

Annika told Zoey, “Ask her to give you the full story. Tell her that we may be able to help stop whatever befell her home from happening again, but that she needs to tell us everything that she can remember.”

Zoey nodded and then said something to Phira. The girl looked afraid for a moment and then nodded to the Espeon. She then began to speak, obvious pain and emotion in her voice. Alyssa noted, “She has clearly been pretty severely traumatized. I can sense it in her aura. She is relieved to be safe here for now, but she still does not trust us completely.”

Annika nodded and replied, “I do not think that it takes Aura Sense to know that she had been through a lot. Still, let’s see what Zoey can tell us once she finishes her story.”

The CAS members and the watch officers listened to the conversation in the human language between Zoey and Phira. They could tell that it was somewhat hard for Phira to recount whatever she was recounting to Zoey. As for Zoey, she was clearly getting more worried and concerned the more that she spoke with Phira.

When the conversation between Zoey and Phira was finally finished, Zoey turned to everyone else and took a deep breath. She then explained, “Phira has reason to be so frightened. I tried to assure her that she would be safe here in Creekside. However, she is so afraid because her people were massacred. The attack on her village came in the evening and was made by Pokémon that looked to be wearing red sashes. Phira was not sure who was leading them. However, they seemed to attack and kill humans indiscriminately, both guards and civilians. I assume that I need not remind anyone here that human non-combatants are far more defenseless than Pokémon non-combatants. Two of the ships in her village docks were sunk by aquatic Pokémon from the same red-clad band. However, the third ship escaped with Phira and her parents on board. As the escape ship was pulling away, the passengers on board saw those who had been unable to flee the town being torn into by the savage warriors. One of the village’s elders was slain by the dock as well. After sailing for a few days, the ship ended up in a light storm nearby the coast of the Grand Island. That was when a Tentacruel wearing a red and blue sash led their Pokémon to attack the ship using the cover of the storm. The ship was destroyed and Phira narrowly survived by clinging to some debris. The storm washed her towards the coast until she was on Suicune’s river past Dralka Town. Eventually, she finally saw Creekside and managed to get to shore. Only when she reached the outskirts of town in the morning light and was spotted by Jeremy, did she collapse completely. She was terrified when she awoke. However, she soon realized that the local authorities here were not the ones who had massacred her people and her family. She has been waiting here, unsure of her future ever since she has regained most of her strength.”

Annika was feeling a whole mix of emotions at the moment. Her current top priority at the moment regarding the whole situation was finding out why the red-clad Pokémon had attacked Phira’s village so savagely. Who were they? Who, if anyone else, were they working for? Were they just a band of merciless raiders, or did they have an actual ideology? Either way, Annika knew that they would have to be stopped. The famed Creekside Adventurers’ Society could not allow something as atrocious as what had happened to Phira’s village to stand unavenged.

Annika stepped forward and told Zoey, “Tell Phira that we need to see if she can pinpoint her village on a map for us. I would assume that it was probably on the Takadian Continent to the direct east of here. I know that we will be quite a bit behind those savage raiders. However, I plan to assemble an away team to investigate the village and see what became of it. We will try to depart within the next two days.”

Alyssa nodded and added, “We will need to figure out what the nearest coastal Pokemon settlement to the village is as well. We will probably have to hop a ship heading there and then head to the village by land. Saladin will probably be useful in helping us book passage on a merchant ship leaving Dralka Town for the east. At minimum, we can borrow one of his riverboats to get us to Dralka Town this time.”

Ryan pointed out, “As our liaison to the local government, I should stay here if another major expedition is being planned. Might I also recommend that letters be sent back to Creekside with some frequency by the away team during the expedition. Last time we had an overseas expedition, those of us at home did not learn about the CTO until Sylvester showed up at our base and explained as much as he knew.”

Annika nodded to Ryan and then said, “In terms of who is going this time, Alyssa and I will head up the away team again. Leo, Sapphire, I have known you two for so long and I trust both of you instinctively. I want you two to help Ryan run things here while we are away. Marcy and Lawrence are still officially on leave, so they will be exempt from this mission. I think that Zoey’s linguistic skills will be essential for this expedition. Sylvester will insist on going because he got sent home during our last major overseas outing. Therefore, the two of them will be on the away team. So that we have significant numbers, we will also bring Rocco, Drake and Linda if they are all ok with coming this time around.”

Zoey turned to Phira and began speaking to her in the foreign language from before. Phira looked both excited and concerned as Zoey spoke.

Drake said, as Annika’s mind raced, thinking about all the preparations that would have to be taken care of, “It will be good for me to go on a real expedition for once. I will have to let Zeke know, but I should be as ready for action as ever.”

Linda added, “Whoever was responsible for the massacre of Phira’s people needs to be stopped. I think that if anyone can do this, it would have to be us. I will inform my family as soon as possible that I will be going on this mission.”

Rocco excitedly pointed out, “For once, I will be on an expedition from the start! I hope that I can handle being on a ship for a while. I got a little seasick on the riverboat earlier.”

Alyssa told her fellow CAS members, “I would think that we will begin preparing as soon as Phira is able to pinpoint our target destination for us.”

Zoey turned to everyone and said, “Phira claims that she can point to her village on a map. She says that it was on the western coast of the Takadian Continent. Therefore, it should only be around a four-day voyage from Dralka Town’s seaport. I told her that we were going to try to hunt down the Pokémon responsible for slaughtering her kin. She agreed to help us however she could, short of actually having to confront the savages personally.”

Sylvester said, “As long as we have a good idea of where to go, we can go forth and uncover the truth behind these strange foreign murderers. I just hope that we are not dealing with another insane religious cult.”

Annika told Sylvester, “Agreed.” She was pretty sick of religious fanatics after having fought against Reavers, the AML and later the CTO.

Samson looked over at Jeremy and ordered, “See if you can find a map that includes Western Takadia. We will see if we can pinpoint where the sacked village was. I am not sure if anyone is safe with these murderous raiders on the loose.”

Jeremy nodded and then went to go fetch a map of the Grand Island and its surroundings. When the Ariados returned, he was carrying a rolled up map that Annika and Alyssa then spread out on a table.

Phira pointed to a spot on the western coast of the Takadian Continent that was just to the north of a large dot marked with the words “Arasia City.”

Zoey noted, “If I am correct, then the village’s site should be less than a day’s walk to the north of the Pokémon port city of Arasia. We should be able to get on a ship departing Dralka for Arasia and hopefully reach Takadia within a week to ten days from now.”

Annika nodded and then finished, “Alyssa and I will go talk with Saladin. Ryan, see if you can inform Serena about our upcoming absence. Leo, Sapphire, get ready to become the primary CAS representatives in town for a bit and relieve Lawrence at the base. Drake, inform Marcy of what is going on so that she knows of our plan. Everyone else, get to packing and making whatever other departure preparations you need to make before we head out. We will hopefully rent a riverboat and head for Dralka the day after tomorrow at the latest. With any luck, Saladin may know about larger merchant ships that frequently travel between Dralka and Arasia.”

Annika knew that if these red-clad Pokémon were as merciless as Phira had claimed that they were, then lives were on the line if they remained unchecked. The head of the CAS wondered if the raiders were connected to the Reavers of Yveltal. That cult had not been seen on the Grand Island for years. However, they tended to attack any non-members they encountered Still, they would have been unlikely to have the numbers to attack and massacre a large human village successfully. A Reaver cell’s presence in most any area would also have likely roused the local civilized Pokémon to attack them to prevent such tragedies. Whoever these savage fighters were, they seemed likely to be well-organized. In the end, the CAS would have to investigate and see what they could do about this new enemy, with or without local assistance.


	5. Heading out Again

The day after Annika had learned about the threat of the red-clad Pokémon on the Takadian Continent, she was overseeing the loading of a riverboat with supplies. The boat had a blue and gold mark on it that indicated that it belonged to the merchant Saladin. It was painted dark gray and green and looked large enough to comfortably accommodate roughly nine medium-sized Pokémon.

Standing next to Annika was a white and black quadruped with a scythe-like protrusion coming out from the side of her head. The Absol was Marcy, the former traitor who had nearly given her life to protect Annika during the Battle of Mount Galtia.

As the two females looked at the barge, Marcy told Annika, “Saladin has certainly proved to be a useful contact for us ever since we met him. I’ll admit to being impressed that someone who grew up in the middle of the desert badlands like he did became such a big success.”

Annika replied to Marcy, “I can’t argue with that. More importantly for this mission, he is aware of the rough schedule of a shipping outfit that runs cargo ships capable of taking passengers between Dralka and Arasia. He’s also on good terms with some of their high-ranking staff. He was able to send a Wingull messenger ahead to Dralka Town, alerting the company that we will want to book passage on one of their ships as soon as it can be made ready.”

Marcy nodded and then admitted, “I sort of wish that I was coming along this time. However, I have my responsibilities as a mother to take care of. Also, if anything really serious comes up in this area, I think that I can make myself useful to the CAS contingent staying here.”

Annika admitted, “This whole situation makes me hope that we will establish a real guild someday. With more resources and foreign offices that we could call on assistance from, we could have an easier time with big expeditions like this.”

Marcy nodded again and told Annika, “I will say that from what I know, I doubt that the enemies you will be trying to track down are Reavers. The Reavers only try to wipe out settlements outright if the settlement is both very small and very isolated. They are murderous barbarians, but they do not want to endanger their operations and members unnecessarily. Also, it sounded like these Pokémon did not have unholy symbols of Yveltal and were fighting with impressive coordination. They seem more military or paramilitary to me. I hope that you and the others going with you are up to the task of tracking down and defeating these raiders. Maybe some locals will be willing to aid you if it comes to it?”

Annika admitted, “We will have to see what happens. I will have to be strategic and see how many of these raiders there really are and what their ultimate goal is. You know, seeing as though I once was a human, I am concerned that that human village was targeted so mercilessly by these savages. I do not know if it had anything to do with their humanity. However, I guess in the end we will do our best to stop the red-clad Pokémon no matter what end goal they are pursuing.”

Marcy finished, “Just don’t forget to write home. I was thinking that one of us should send a letter to Nia and Riccardo up north in Anetisia. We should keep them abreast of what is going on. I am sure that Nia would want to go with you guys on this expedition if she were still an active-duty CAS member.”

Annika nodded and then saluted Marcy. She then left the docks. Annika was going to go check in with Alyssa and Sylvester, who were doing some research to see if they could find any references to the red-clad raiders in the Creekside Library. 

When Annika arrived at the Library, she saw Alyssa and Sylvester leaving the building. Alyssa told her wife, “Well, we looked over any documents we could find with any possible references to red-clad military Pokémon. All that we could find were a few references to some organized military Pokémon operating in southern Takadia. There was a reference or two in there regarding a possible plot of some kind by a Southern Takadian human religious sect that apparently no longer exists. The natives of the Takadian Continent may know more about our new enemies. However, they do not seem to be in Creekside’s orbit enough that much is known about them here.”

Sylvester added, “Hopefully, that means that our new enemies do not number in the hundreds or thousands. The less of them there are, the more likely it is that they are more local in their focus. Still, they could be expanding their operations recently. We also learned that there is an Intercontinental Mining Corporation office in Arasia. They have been clients of ours before, so they may be willing to help us to learn more about these red-clad warriors.”

Annika nodded and replied, “We will be departing for Dralka and then Arasia tomorrow. One more question, did you find out anything that could be relevant about Arasia?”

Alyssa told Annika, “We know that the city’s patron deity is the Sea Prince Manaphy, to give you a heads up. We also know that the city is run by an elected mayor and a series of aldermons who act as the legislature. I should also mention that Arasian foreign policy tends to lean strongly in the direction of non-interference in other’s business unless the city proper, their citizens, or a key trading partner gets obviously threatened. Their government does not like to expend resources and risk any members of their populace unless they deem it to be absolutely necessary.”

Annika nodded after rolling her eyes at the idea of visiting yet another city with a legendary patron. After that, she told Alyssa and Sylvester, “See if you can finish up packing. We are all going to meet up early tomorrow morning at the docks to board the riverboat. We need to act fast if we want to locate and stop these savage raiders before they can strike again.”

Later that day, Annika made sure to check in with Ryan, Leo, Sapphire and Lawrence. She wanted to make sure that the CAS members who would be staying home this time around, both active duty and on leave, would be able to leap into action is the need arose. As far as the leader of the CAS knew, Rocco, Linda and Drake were almost fully packed for the trip.

Zoey was with Phira, trying to gather any other intelligence she could from the traumatized young human. It had been confirmed with all of the proper local authorities that Phira should stay in Creekside for now. She would be sheltered by the town watch just in case the red-clad warriors appeared on the Grand Island.

The morning of the planned departure of the new CAS Away Team, Annika and her six team members were all making final preparations at the docks nearby the riverboat that was to take them to Dralka Town. Saladin was with them and was directing his employees in their own final preparations for the riverboat.

As Annika donned her pack and prepared to board the riverboat, Saladin looked over at her and her allies and told them, “I think that if anyone can stop these murderous warriors, it would be you all. The good news is that there should be a ship scheduled to sail for Arasia loading up with cargo at the Dralka Town port when you arrive. You should be able to book passage on that ship and sail across the ocean to Arasia. I can only hope that you discover the true identity of the red-clad force and put a stop to them once you arrive on the Takadian Continent. I certainly want you all to survive your mission… My association with you all has been quite good for business.” Saladin chuckled at the end of his statement, indicating that he had been joking about their association being purely a business one.

Annika chuckled back at Saladin and told him, “Feel free to keep up your business association with the CAS while Leo is the Temporary Society Head again. Just remember that he can be quite the cheapskate at times. You stand a chance at getting into some real haggling with him.”

Alyssa laughed a bit as Annika now began to lead her new away team onto the riverboat. They were going to be heading off to their latest adventure. Unlike two years ago, when an earlier CAS Away Team had left for the Adalsian port city of Shawlia, this time the intention of the expedition was to confront and stop a great and mysterious evil. The expedition was not about trying to assist a struggling fellow group of adventurers this time.

The seven members of the new CAS Away Team boarded the riverboat. Annika made note of the fact that this new team would have two flyers and one aquatic Pokémon, along with the four land-bound adventurers. This team seemed to be more well-rounded then the last one she had set out with. With any luck, they would stay together for the whole expedition and return home victorious.

The riverboat crewed by Saladin’s employees took Annika, Alyssa, Sylvester, Rocco, Zoey, Linda and Drake all the way down Suicune’s River from Creekside Town to the oceanic port of Dralka Town. The last time that Annika had been to Dralka had been on the way to the Adalsian port city of Shawlia two years ago. On the town’s beach, Alyssa had admitted her bisexuality to her wife after proposing that the two of them take some time off for a vacation. The young couple had ended up taking that vacation after the defeat and death of the Rogue Legendary Pokémon Eternatus at Mount Galtia. It had turned out to be quite nice and refreshing after all.

Upon reaching Dralka Town, Annika and company only stayed there for one night. The cargo ship that they were to board for Arasia was already waiting in the harbor and was almost finished being loaded for its voyage to Arasia. Thankfully, the distance between the eastern Grand Island and the portion of the Takadian coast that Arasia sat on was much shorter than the distance between the southern tip of the Grand Island and the northern coast of the Adalsian Continent. This voyage would not be nearly as long as the last couple of sea journeys that Annika and the CAS had taken.

The day after the new away team had arrived in Dralka Town, the riverboat that had carried them there set off for Creekside Town again. The crew wished Annika and her team luck on their mission to see justice done and further atrocities prevented. Annika told the boat crew that they would do their best to carry out their mission and attempt to write back home as soon as practical after landing on the Takadian Continent.

Soon after the riverboat departed for Creekside, Annika led her new away team onto the cargo ship _Phione_. The large cargo transport set off with her passengers that day in the early afternoon.

The voyage by sea took four days as expected and planned. The morning of the final day of the voyage, Annika was standing on the deck of the ship nearby the bow of the vessel. Alyssa walked over and stood next to her. The Exploud lookout in the crow’s nest had called out “Land Ho!” just moments before. Now, the western coast of the Takadian Continent was visible in the distance. The CAS Away Team would likely reach Arasia by lunchtime as this rate.

Alyssa asked her wife, “So, what’s our plan once we disembark from the ship?”

Annika replied, “Well, Aly, first we will have to find somewhere to stay in Arasia. We may also have to report our business in town to some local authority like we did in Shawlia when we first arrived. Once we locate and secure proper lodgings, we will have to see what we can find out about our new enemies. Hopefully, the locals are not too sympathetic to the savage warriors that we have come here to stop.”

Alyssa nodded and saluted her wife. She then added, “We will have to see. I think that checking in at a local IMC office may be a good way for us to learn some things about both Arasia and the savages we intend to face off against.”

Annika noticed that the other five away team members were coming up onto the top deck now. They walked and flew over to the couple and all together, the seven Pokémon looked at the looming Takadian coastline that was steadily getting closer to them. Annika knew that it might not be long now until they would potentially be facing off against the ones who massacred Phira’s people. A number of questions still raced through Annika’s mind. She was as determined as ever to get some answers to them. She and her comrades would learn the truth, even if they had to beat it out of the red-clad warriors.


	6. Arasia City

When the _Phione_ docked in Arasia City’s harbor, it was late morning. Annika and Alyssa led their away team members off of the ship via a gangplank. They soon found out that Arasia did not have the same sort of inspection required that Shawlia did. The seven Pokémon were able to head into the city and obtain maps of Arasia at a small shop located nearby the docks.

After getting some lunch at a restaurant nearby the docks, the away team members decided to head to a dockside tavern and hotel called the _Persistent Pikipek_. They did not feel as though they needed to go anywhere too expensive for what could end being a very short stay in Arasia.

The adventurers were planning on staying in Arasia for a couple of days at most and then departing to the north to investigate the village where Phira had lived. They were in Arasia because the city was the closest port to their real destination. While they were in Arasia, they intended to also see if they could learn what they could from the locals about the red-clad warriors that they were pursuing.

Upon reaching the tavern where they intended to book rooms, Annika walked up to the front desk on the first floor. The interior and exterior of the building were wooden. Despite its large size, the first floor of the tavern had a cozy sort of feel to it.

A Tsareena stood behind the front desk. She looked over at Annika and her comrades and asked her, “Are you looking for rooms, or a table for lunch?”

Annika replied, “We are looking for rooms, ma’am. We should be ok with five of them, two doubles and three singles, please.”

The Tsareena replied, “Sounds good to me. How long do you intend to stay with us?”

Annika replied, “We can put down money for three days for now. We do not plan to be in town for long.”

The Tsareena asked Annika, “If you don’t mind me asking, what is your business in Arasia? You have a pretty big party with you.”

Annika told the hostess, “To be honest, we are here to investigate reports of attacks by Pokémon wearing bright red. Would you happen to know anything about such a group?”

The Tsareena seemed to think for a moment and then replied, “I have heard of a group operating in this area calling themselves the Crimson Company. I believe that some of their members were in town recently to procure supplies. I do not know who their leader is or what they want though. Still, why do you all care about their activities?”

Zoey stepped forward this time and told the hostess, “We care because they attacked a human village nearby not long ago and slaughtered the inhabitants. We would strongly prefer that something like that not happen again. Now, we would like our room keys so that we can go get settled in and put our packs down.”

The other CAS members nodded in agreement with Zoey. As the Tsareena seemed to realize something, “Wait a second… are you from the Creekside Adventurers’ Society?”

Alyssa smiled and replied, “Yes, we are. My wife Annika here is our Society Head and we are here on official society business.”

The Tsareena looked impressed and said, “I guess that my tavern is being graced by living legends today. I apologize for questioning you all so exactingly before. I will make sure that my staff gets your rooms ready post haste. My name is Jennifer. If you need anything during your stay, do not hesitate to ask.”

Jennifer and her staff soon got to work readying the five second-floor rooms for Annika and her team. Annika and Alyssa were to share a room, as were Zoey and Sylvester. Everyone else would be staying in smaller single rooms. Annika forked over the money for the three nights’ stay. Once the rooms were ready, the adventurers all put down their packs and then returned to the main floor.

Annika looked over her team as they stood and sat around a table in the small lounge area next to the dining section of the tavern. She then told them, “Thanks to the maps we got earlier today, I think that we should be able to figure navigating Arasia out while we are here. I think that we can probably afford to rest here for today and get our bearings in the city. However, tomorrow, we will be getting right to work on investigating this ‘Crimson Company.’ Here is my current plan: Aly and I will go see if we can speak with someone at the local IMC office and learn if they know anything about the CC, as we should call them for short. Drake, I want you to take Linda and see if you can check in with whatever local military or police force exists here. See if you can find out what they know about the Crimson Company and if they are allied with, or opposed to, the Arasians. Or, if they don’t interact much. Sylvester and Zoey are going to go to the city hall and basically ask the same questions of whoever there will talk to them. Rocco, I want you to go and make sure our supplies are topped off so that we are ready to set off for the village, or whatever is left of it, at a moment’s notice. If any of us see Crimson Company Pokémon, do not engage them, but make note of it. We do not want to get into any trouble here in this foreign city.”

Annika’s comrades all saluted her in some way, indicating that they all understood her orders for the next day. The seven adventurers all set out to explore the city and get their bearings after resting at the hotel for a bit longer. They all ate dinner together in the tavern that night. It was decided that soon after breakfast the next day, they would split up and set out into Arasia in order to see what they could learn about the Crimson Company and make sure that they were well supplied for their upcoming trek north.

While their five comrades split up to do their best to fulfill their assignments, Annika and Alyssa followed their map to the business district of Arasia. They were going to find the local office of the Intercontinental Mining Corporation, an old repeat client of the CAS. Annika hoped that her society’s known reputation among the IMC’s staff would allow her and her wife to learn what they could from the IMC branch in Arasia.

Annika and Alyssa walked into a wood and stone building near the southern edge of the business district. The sign in front of the building said that this was the local IMC office. Upon entering the office, the two females saw a female Cradily and two male Anorith. The two Anorith were looking over some forms of some kind. The Cradily was standing behind the front desk.

The Cradily asked Annika and Alyssa, “Can I help you two?”

Annika walked forward and replied, “Yes, ma’am. My name is Annika, the Head of Creekside Adventurers’ Society. My wife and I are in Arasia, along with some of our comrades to investigate the activities of a group calling themselves the Crimson Company.”

The Cradily thought for a moment and then said, as the two Anorith were now looking over at Annika and Alyssa, “Oh yeah, Horton mentioned you guys a while back, it feels like that was at least two years ago. You are the contractors from Creekside Town that he found so helpful. My name is Kayla by the way, I am in charge of the IMC branch office here in Arasia.”

One of the Anorith asked Annika and Alyssa, “Didn’t your society fight a Rogue Legendary Pokémon on Adalsia a couple of years ago?”

Alyssa nodded and replied, “Yes, Eternatus was likely the most dangerous foe that we have ever faced off against. Thankfully, we had quite a bit of help in the end. Now, we are here trying to track down some warriors calling themselves the ‘Crimson Company.’ We are hoping that you know something about them, we could use any intelligence you can provide us with.”

Kayla told Annika and Alyssa, “From what I have heard, the Crimson Company might have been a mercenary company at some point. However, more recently, they have begun a campaign of terror against human settlements and nomads. I think that their leader may be a Blaziken. I heard that some of them were here to stock up on supplies recently. The local government here in Arasia does not have an official stance on the Crimson Company’s actions. However, they have apparently denied a request for the company’s leader to make a speech in the city. It seems like they are trying to obtain more fresh recruits and sympathizers along with keeping themselves supplied.”

Annika was more than a little concerned about what Kayla had told her. Someone in this world had decided to wage a genocidal campaign against her former species. The Crimson Company was not just some indiscriminate bunch of savage raiders, they were trying to kill humans in particular. Annika decided to ask Kayla, “Do you know why the Crimson Company has decided to wage war on humanity?”

Kayla admitted, “I heard once that they were founded in order to combat a human-led cult of some kind to the south of here, which they later defeated. However, I could not tell you why they have decided to take on a broader anti-human mission for themselves. I do fear the negative implications for commerce if their attacks on humans continue unabated. …and of course, the loss of lives is also greatly lamentable. …The last detail that I know about the Crimson Company is that they have boasting lately that they have won the support of a new patron. However, I do not know who that is, or why they have thrown in with the murderous warriors. I also do not know to what extent they are supporting the company.”

Alyssa sighed deeply and admitted, “That is all quite concerning. The Crimson Company is targeting humans specifically and now claim that someone with considerable resources is backing them….”

As Alyssa trailed off, Annika admitted to herself that the whole situation with the Crimson Company was looking more and more worrying. She wanted to know what could be motivating the former mercenaries to try and wipe out humanity. Was it pure xenophobia, or a desire for some sort of revenge? Was it bloodlust that was tempered by a desire to avoid angering powerful Pokémon settlements? Also, who was the company’s leader? Were they a Blaziken and if so, or if not, what was their end goal?

Annika told Kayla, “Thank you for all of that information. We should be heading back to our lodgings to check in with our comrades. We will let you know if we are interested in receiving any assistance from you in the future and will take our leave now.”

Kayla replied, “Of course. I am glad to be able to assist an organization that has repeatedly and successfully partnered with our own. Best of luck with your investigations and be careful regardless of what course of action you take.”

Annika and Alyssa nodded and then they left the branch office. The couple decided to head off for lunch at a nearby restaurant and then return to the _Persistent Pikipek_ after that.

Upon sitting down at a table and ordering their food from a Bellossom waitress, Alyssa told Annika, “I can sense how worried you are. I can assure you that this whole Crimson Company situation is weighing on me heavily as well.”

Annika threw up her arms and told her wife, “We have fought many vile foes, Aly. Lucius tried to murder hundreds to make himself a god, the Reavers of Yveltal killed in the name of a death demigod that may not even notice them, Eternatus wanted to rule the world and crush all resistance. Still, the sort of targeted killing that the Crimson Company looks to be engaging in is really disturbing to me. They are not working towards an external goal, as far as I know. They don’t seem to be rationalizing their actions as part of a greater good, or even for the good of a select few, from what I can tell. They remined me of the Reavers, but they do not seem to try and justify their atrocities with a religious fervor. Also, they seems better coordinated than the Reavers and more able to appear respectable to other Pokémon.”

Alyssa replied, “You are the Society Head, so whatever we do next is your call. However, I would suggest that we head north to investigate the village tomorrow morning. We will return to our hotel after this and see what the others have learned. I do doubt that they will have the answer to the CC’s true motivation. However, they could have a useful tidbit or two for us.”

Annika told Alyssa, “Yeah, we will head back to the hotel after this and then all head out tomorrow. Your Aura Sense will prove to be vital in scanning for any CC Pokémon who may still be in the village, or anyone else for that matter.”

Alyssa nodded and told Annika, “We can stop these bastards. We stopped the CTO, even though they seemed invincible at first. We just have to stand together and make use of whatever allies we can find.”

Annika nodded back at her wife, thinking about how lucky she was to have a partner in life as brave and competent as the beautiful Lucario. She would do anything for her Aly and she was as sure as ever that the feeling was mutual.

Wife and wife ate lunch together and then headed back towards their lodgings, Annika wanted to see what information her comrades had gathered and share what she and Alyssa had learned from Kayla. Tomorrow, they would set out for whatever remained of the human village that Phira had once called home.


	7. Lydia

Annika and Alyssa were walking down one of the streets of Arasia on their way back to their hotel from lunch. Before that, they had briefly met with the Cradily Kayla who headed up the IMC branch office in Arasia. Annika had noted that many of the stone buildings in this city, as well as the streets, were primarily built using a dark brown/black stone. Only the nicest stone buildings Annika had seen in Arasia were made of a lighter-colored material. It seemed like the darker-colored stone was more common in the area and therefore cheaper to procure and build with.

The street that Annika and Alyssa were walking down now was somewhat crowded, but not overwhelmingly so. Annika thankfully did not see anybody wearing red clothing of any kind. Most of the Pokémon were not wearing anything at all, expect for maybe backpacks. Annika and Alyssa had their money pouches with them, but were not wearing their traveling packs.

The two females were still a good distance from the hotel and tavern that they were staying at. They were taking their time in getting back, seeing as though they were not sure how long it would take their other away team members to gather information and supplies as they had been ordered to do.

As Annika was walking beside her wife, she was thinking about their new enemies, the Crimson Company. She was still puzzled as to what could possibly motivate an organized group of Pokémon to engage in such barbaric acts. What was their leadership trying to accomplish and why?

Suddenly, Annika saw Alyssa’s aura sensing organs start to tense up. The Lucario female whirled around and pointed just behind Annika.

Annika whirled around as well and saw a very surprised-looking young female Snivy who had been reaching for Annika’s coin purse.

Alyssa smirked, “I guess this little thief does not know about Aura Sense. I think that…” Before Alyssa could finish her statement, the Snivy girl bolted for a nearby alleyway.

Annika chuckled, “You should have just grabbed her, Aly….”

Alyssa was now following the fleeing Snivy as fast as she could as Annika’s words trailed off. Alyssa called back to her wife, “Come on, we need to catch this little crook! I can sense where she is going, so we won’t lose her easily.”

Annika nodded, knowing that Alyssa was not one to give up easily. She then quickly took off after her wife down the alleyway.

With Alyssa leading the way, the couple were gaining on their quarry as she winded through the back alleys. It was not long until the two of them found themselves in another straight section of the alley with their target not that far ahead of them. The Snivy might have gotten a head start and knew the area better than her pursuers, but Annika and Alyssa had far longer legs than her and were navigating using Alyssa’s Aura Sense.

Annika saw that the Snivy girl was close to turning another corner. She knew that if she scored a direct hit on the thief with an icy blast, it could severely wound, or even kill her. Annika did not want that, so she decided to try something else. She aimed a blast right in front of where her quarry was running and launched it.

The icy pulse collided with the cobblestones right in front of the Snivy and frost covered the stones. The fleeing girl was surprised and stopped running for just a moment. That was enough time for Annika and Alyssa to catch up to her with quick bursts of speed.

The Snivy looked back and up as her pursuers were now right on top of her. Alyssa told her, “We are taking you to the local authorities. I would advise you not to resist as what my wife just sent out was a mere warning shot. Now, do you surrender?”

The Snivy grimaced. She quickly got down on her “knees” and assumed the classic begging position as Alyssa folded her arms. She begged, “Please do not turn me in! If they lock me up, I will be forced to live in a dank dungeon all alone. Even the streets are better than that. Look, I don’t have a job, or even a family. I am sorry that I tried to steal from you. Please just let me go and you will never hear from me again.”

Annika asked, before Alyssa could say anything, “What’s your name, girl?”

The Snivy replied, “My name is Lydia, ma’am.” She was still on her knees for the moment.

Annika then asked Alyssa, “Aly, how honest is Lydia here being with us?”

Alyssa gave her wife a minor look. However, she replied, “She seems to be withholding something about why she does not want to go to prison. However, she seems to be telling the truth otherwise.”

As Annika nodded Lydia’s eyes showed a combination of awe and confusion. She then admitted, “I don’t want to go to prison in particular because I would be unable to watch the sunset from a dungeon cell. Watching the sunset is my daily ritual. It’s one of the few sources of joy in my life…ok?”

Alyssa told Lydia, “I think that some time in prison would teach you a valuable lesson about not stealing from others. Whoever raised you did not do a great job…”

Lydia shot back, “I ran away from the local orphanage, ok. They said that I was too unruly and so I left. I never did enjoy being cooped up there anyway.”

Annika experienced some brief flashbacks to her time living in an orphanage. She cringed a bit and realized what she needed to do. She then looked over at Alyssa and told her, “Aly, Lydia is an orphan… like us. We know that she isn’t lying about that. What good would locking her up really do?”

Lydia looked surprised and asked, “You two were orphans?”

Annika nodded and replied, “My name is Annika and this is Alyssa. We are from the Grand Island’s Creekside Adventurers’ Society and are in Arasia on important business. Despite what Alyssa has been saying, I don’t actually think that putting you in prison would improve your life, or this city, in any substantial way.”

Alyssa asked Annika, sounding annoyed but deferential, “I guess that you are still the Society Head and the one that she was trying to rob. I will have to defer to you on this. What do you plan on doing with her?”

Before Annika could continue, Lydia asked, “The Creekside Adventurers’ Society? Wait… you mean the guys who defeated the mad Kabutops Lucius and his cult? What exactly is your business here that is so important?”

Annika could tell that Lydia was actually impressed. She told the Snivy, “We are here to track down and stop a group of murderous Pokémon calling themselves the Crimson Company. Do you know anything about them?”

Lydia was off of her knees at this point. She replied, “Not much, ma’am. I know that a few of their soldiers were here recently to stock up on supplies for a nearby base camp. Other than that, nothing.”

Alyssa asked Annika, “We should be getting back to the hotel. Are you just going to let her go?”

Annika shook her head no and then told Lydia, “Here is the deal I will offer you. We will not turn you in to the local authorities and in exchange, you will become our newest intern. What that means is that you will help us keep track of our supplies and other logistical matters. We will not make you fight anyone if we can help it. However, if you try to escape us, we will turn you in to the nearest town for imprisonment. Your internship will end once we return home to Creekside Town on the Grand Island. Consider it your sentence. That is even though, you will get free room and board, free food and see new places.”

Alyssa looked unsure of what to make of what of the deal Annika was offering Lydia. However, the Snivy thought for a moment and then replied, “I accept. If your wife can track me at long range somehow and even read my emotions, then I don’t see any point in trying to escape. Also… it may be nice to have a job for once. My only condition is that when I return to Creekside with you, you set me up with a job there so that I can live comfortably there and not have to return to street thievery.”

Annika nodded and then stepped forward to shake “hands” with a very relieved-looking Lydia. She told the Snivy, “Welcome to our Society, …sort of. Now, let’s get you back to our hotel and introduce you to our five away team comrades. I think that I will have you stay with Linda for now. She was our first intern. However, we rescued her on her parents behalf before I even met Alyssa here.”

Alyssa smiled awkwardly and admitted, as the trio began to set off, “I guess that justice need not always be vengeful. Annika, you really are something, someone tries to steal from you and you offer them a job.”

Annika smiled at her wife and joked, “I do my best to be compassionate, at least when religion is not involved.”

Lydia nervously asked, “Are you two gay?”

Alyssa chuckled and replied, “I’m bisexual, but Annika is gay. We have been married for around three years now I would reckon. Either way, we look out for each other and love each other, like any sort of couple would.”

Lydia nodded and quickly said, “Sure, sure. I was not saying that there is anything wrong with it…”

Annika told Lydia, “You will learn more about us in due time. You are lucky to have been caught by us, despite Aly being so hostile at first. Let’s just say that we are all about second chances at the CAS.”

Alyssa blushed somewhat and admitted, “Sorry that I got so worked up earlier. I need to remember that some small-time criminals are victims of circumstances rather than malicious malefactors.”

Lydia replied, “I am just happy that you two are not dragging me to prison. Just promise me that if a fight breaks out, you will keep me safe. I don’t have much experience with that sort of thing, other than a few minor scraps I have gotten myself into before.”

Annika told Lydia, “We will do our best to keep you safe. The seven of us are all very experienced fighters. We should be able to take on pretty much whatever gets thrown our way.”

Lydia simply nodded as she was led back to the _Persistent Pikipek_.

Upon returning to their lodgings, Annika and Alyssa found their five comrades waiting for them in the lounge area. Annika explained the whole situation with Lydia that had come up. After that, she asked for reports on what everyone had found. Rocco had just been on a supply run, so he did not have very much to say.

As for Drake, Linda, Sylvester and Zoey, they all had come to the conclusion that the civilian and military arms of the local Arasian government were all monitoring the Crimson Company to some extent. However, they also were not interested in investing their own forces in stopping the attacks on humans. The company’s members were allowed to occasionally stop in the city for supplies. However, the Arasian government was at least unwilling to allow the CC to make any public speeches in favor of their genocidal cause. It was clear to Annika now that the CC was certainly trying to win over new recruits and sympathizers without angering the authorities in any permanent Pokémon settlements.

Annika and Alyssa also shared what they had learned about the Crimson Company from Kayla. It seemed, as Annika had expected, that there was near-complete overlap in the intelligence the various sub-teams had gathered. They still did not know the real motivation the CC had for their attacks on humans, or what their endgame was.

Lydia had listened in to the conversations that the CAS members were having. She did not have any real input, however. As the day wore on, Annika gave her society members the order that the next morning, they would set off to investigate the village where Phira had once lived. Lydia would be traveling with the seven CAS members. She would be rooming with Linda for the night. The young Snivy just seemed happy to have a safe place to sleep and promised to make no escape attempts.

Annika fell asleep in Alyssa’s arms that night wondering how her new recruit would turn out and hoping that they could gather some intelligence in the human village.


	8. The Trek North

The morning after meeting Lydia, Annika and Alyssa were standing in the lobby of the _Persistent Pikipek_. Sylvester and Zoey had just come down. According to Alyssa’s Aura Sense, Linda and Lydia were getting ready upstairs and Rocco and Drake were doing the same thing.

Sylvester wondered aloud as Zoey stood next to him, “I wonder what we might uncover at the village. Will we find the Crimson Company at the scene of the crime as it were, or will we find nothing but the remains of their victims?”

Zoey admitted, “It is morbid, but we need to be prepared for anything, not just active hostiles. Thankfully, Alyssa’s Aura Sense should help us to prepare in advance if it looks like we could end up engaging a significant number of enemies.”

Sylvester added, “The village is our only lead now. Even if we do not find any enemies there, we will hopefully locate some evidence as to where they might be headed next.”

Annika nodded and admitted, “Our goal should be to cripple, or outright defeat, the Crimson Company so as to prevent any further massacres. However, we still do not know how many of them there are. There is also the worrying reality that they have an unknown patron supporting their twisted mission. We could even end up having to track down and stop whoever that is.”

Alyssa added, as Linda flew down the stairs with Lydia right behind her, “We should not think that far ahead just yet. For now, we should just focus on the task at hand, reaching the village and going from there.”

Linda reported, after flying into the lobby, “Lydia here was not any trouble for me. She made no attempts to sneak out at night. She did insist on watching the sunset out our room’s window, however.”

Lydia tried to fold her short arms and said, “I said that I was not going to try to escape. We made a deal and as long as you keep up your end, I will keep up mine.”

Annika nodded as Rocco was the next CAS member to come downstairs. He announced, “Drake should be following me down soon. He said that he was working on a short letter to send to our base back home. He intends to do his best to get it mailed before we leave Arasia, seeing as though we might not be back here anytime soon.”

Linda added, “That was an important suggestion that Ryan and the others made for us before we departed Creekside. We will want to inform our home base of what we have learned so far.”

Annika nodded, feeling slightly awkward for not remembering to send a letter previously. To be fair, their stay in Arasia had been a short one so far. The away team and their new intern were leaving the tavern a day early.. They needed to investigate the village that was their best lead on the Crimson Company for the time being.

Soon, Drake made it down the stairs and everyone ate a quick breakfast. Alyssa quietly informed Annika that she could tell that Lydia was really enjoying the tavern food. It was likely that the orphan girl had had to go hungry on more than one occasion since her leaving the Arasian orphanage. Annika simply replied to her wife that it felt good to help a fellow orphan. For all that Annika knew, they could be helping Lydia to turn her life around in the long term.

After eating breakfast, Annika led the away team and their new intern, a term that Lydia did not seem to fully understand, to the local post office. After Drake handed over his letter to the CAS base in Creekside Town and paid the postage fee, the away team made their way out of the city’s northern gate. They then began to make their way north along a coastal road that did not seem all that well-traveled.

Annika and company did not necessarily know how long they would have to travel along the coastal road until they would reach the sacked human village. From what they had gathered, mainly through Zoey’s conversations with Phira, the village was a large trading post that had been trying to eventually build itself into a real human city. By the standards of such a small settlement, it had sounded like the village had been well-defended. That meant the Crimson Company likely had employed solid strategy and a decent number of fighters in order to take the place. That worried Annika. However, her away team was composed of experienced combat veterans who had made it through dozens of engagements themselves.

As the away team walked north through the afternoon, Lydia, who was wearing her own, recently procured, pack, asked Annika, “Ma’am, I was just wondering, why is your esteemed society trying to hunt down the Crimson Company? Did they attack someone you know personally?”

All eyes were on Annika, who decided to reply, “Lydia, we are going after the Crimson Company because we are not sure if anyone else with any real power or influence will. They have taken multiple lives without good cause and we fear what will happen if they are allowed to continue in their mad crusade unchecked. We intend to find out why they are targeting humans and then put a stop to their depredations.”

Lydia nodded and then awkwardly admitted, “I honestly wondered if you were going after them either for glory, money, or just to keep up your society’s reputation. I guess that all of those ideas were wrong.”

Drake told Lydia, “We are still in many ways a business. We take on contracts to help worthy clients however we can. We expect to be well-paid for the services that we render to our clients. Still, we see ourselves as having greater social responsibility than if we were simply mercenaries like my birth family.”

Sylvester added, “That sense of responsibility is a big part of why Annika wants us to build up a guild around our society someday. She wants up to be able to inspire and support people all around the world.”

Rocco added, “I would hope that Annika wants to start a guild for more reasons than just wanting a new title. Guildmistress does sound better than Society Head after all.”

As Alyssa chuckled, Annika remembered Rocco’s propensity for being blunt and tactless at times.

Zoey pointed out, “You know, Lydia, I was a lone adventuress for quite some time before I joined the CAS. I decided to give up on my earlier goal of finding an ancient vault and do something that was both more profitable and more socially beneficial. I will say that I have not regretted my decision so far.” 

Linda mentioned, “I forgot to mention this last night, Lydia, but I was the first one the CAS ever rescued. I wanted to be like the initial team, even though they were just starting out at the time. That was why I became their first intern, even though that only consisted of watching the base and recording job requests.”

Annika finished, “We have come a long way since we first leased our base. That is for sure. Now, we do feel some kind of responsibility to lead the charge against evils like the Crimson Company. We have faced evil cults and criminals before, so we feel like we have plenty of applicable experience here.”

Lydia nodded as the eight Pokémon continued their trek north towards the spot where their maps had said the village would be. Everyone was certainly wondering what they would find when they arrived at their destination.

As the afternoon wore on, Annika and company realized that they had a low chance of reaching the village by nightfall. While a night attack could make sense if there were still Crimson Company Pokémon in the village. It would be harder to investigate an empty village at night. Also, Annika figured that her team and Lydia would be very tired after their day of marching and flying and therefore getting a good night’s rest would make some sense. 

When the adventurers made their camp on the coastal road, it was decided that watches would be taken and that Alyssa would take the first one on account of her Aura Sense.

As everyone got ready to go to sleep, Lydia admitted that this was her first night outside of Arasia. She enjoyed looking up at the night sky after watching the sunset. Eventually, Annika had to tell the girl to get some sleep, so that she would be ready to keep marching the next morning. The adventurers and their intern were projected to reach their destination sometime in the morning. It was not exactly clear how long it would take from the spot where they had made camp.

The next morning, Annika woke up and looked out over the landscape. Most of her allies, and her wife were are still sleeping. Drake was flying over the immediate vicinity in tight circles. He was on his watch, the final one that was to be taken that night.

As Annika stretched out her arms, she heard Lydia’s voice quietly saying, “Good morning, ma’am.”

Annika turned around to see the young Snivy watching the sunrise only a few feet from her. Lydia continued, “Alyssa told me that watching the sunrise can be as fulfilling as watching the sunset, so I am trying it.”

Annika nodded and smiled over at Lydia. She then said, “Alyssa always enjoyed watching the sunrise. She once told me about how it help her get through the time in her early life when she was enslaved and later sold off like property. I am always impressed with how she keeps pushing through life, even despite how hard it has been for her sometimes. Of course, I am no stranger to hardship and it seems like neither are you…”

Lydia admitted, “I must have been terrible to be owned by someone else. I know that you two were both orphans. It seems nice to me that you two found each other. Alyssa also apologized again for what she called her ‘overzealous cruelty’ when we first met.”

Annika replied, “I am glad that she did so. Alyssa has always been a caring sort. It honestly surprised me how worked up she got when you tried to steal my money.”

Lydia added, “I really did not know that her species can sense the auras of living creatures, including their emotional states. Had I known that, I would never have tried to steal from you.”

Annika told Lydia, “Just consider yourself lucky that I understood your circumstances and knew that you were not really a menace to society, or anything like that. Like I said, our organization tends to be big on giving folks second chances.”

Lydia asked Annika, “These Crimson Company warriors seem to have done a lot of horrible things, if what you have been told is correct. Would you give them a second chance if it came to it?”

Annika sighed deeply and admitted, “That is a tricky question, Lydia. Many of them seem to be remorseless murderers. You may not have sought out a second chance, other than not being sent to prison. However, you have not killed anyone to my knowledge. …I have killed before. Just ask my comrades. However, these CC Pokémon are possibly trying to exterminate an entire species. I cannot so easily forgive such murderous intent. Intentions and actions matter, Lydia.” Annika then thought for a moment and continued, “I once forgave a friend who had betrayed my trust in a major way. However, she had been manipulated by someone she had trusted as well. I let her back into the CAS because I knew how deep her remorse was. Later, she saved my life during the battle of Mount Galtia, nearly giving her own life in the process. My point is that there are certainly times for forgiveness. However, it has to be earned and sincerely desired on the part of the person seeking forgiveness.”

Lydia nodded, seeming a little mentally overloaded by all that Annika had told her. Soon, Drake landed and the other CAS members began to wake up. Everyone ate a small and simple breakfast from their packs and then began to head north after packing up their basic camp.

Lydia was at the rear of the formation and had been in charge of double-checking everyone’s packs as one her first intern duties. Linda and Drake were in the air and Annika was leading the way with Alyssa next to her.

After a few hours of walking, Linda called down, “I think that I see something! Yeah, it looks like the walls of a village! I think that we are nearly there.”

Alyssa preempted Annika by saying, “I will focus on scanning ahead. If there is anyone still in the village, then we will know about it pretty soon.”

When the CAS Pokémon were less than a mile from the village, Alyssa closed her eyes, tensed her aura-sensing organs and reported, “I do not sense any auras in the village. It seems to be deserted.”

Annika nodded to her wife. She then ordered, “Forward, everyone! Let’s see what we can find. Hopefully, there will be some clues as to the enemy’s whereabouts even if there is nobody left there.”

The CAS members continued their march up the coast. As they closed in on the village, Annika hoped that the trail of the Crimson Company would not go cold at the place where the massacre they had perpetrated had occurred.


	9. The Abandoned Village

Annika and her CAS comrades were now closing in on the walls of what had once been a human coastal village with designs on becoming a larger city. The adventurers saw that the wooden stake walls were still intact as they advanced across the sandy ground of the coastal plains. Alyssa had confirmed that there were no living auras in the village. Now, it was time for the CAS Away Team and their new intern Lydia to investigate the village and see what they could find.

Annika directed her team to head east around the village’s walls to the place where they were hoping to find the main entrance to the village. They found that the gate was open. Annika led her team inside and they looked around the place.

Many of the various huts and small buildings looked like they had sustained damage. However, it seemed to have been repaired to various degrees. Annika was surprised to see that despite the battle and subsequent massacre that had taken place here, the village looked pretty well kept up. However, that did not change the fact that it had clearly been abandoned. Alyssa was sure that there were no living auras inside of the village. It was widely known among Lucario and those who knew of their power that Aura Sense had no effect on the dead.

Annika ordered, “Seeing as though there is nobody here, we should split up into smaller groups and search the area. Sylvester, Zoey, head down to the docks and see what you can find there. Drake, Linda, you two circle the village from the air and see what you can find. Also, keep an eye out in case anyone is coming this way from any direction. Rocco, see if there are any usable provisions left here. Take Lydia with you. Alyssa, you and I will search what looks like the village center up ahead. With any luck, we will find some clues here that will lead us to the Crimson Company. If not, then we will double back to Arasia and figure out our next move there.”

The four two-mon teams split up. Sylvester and Zoey headed towards the docks while Drake and Linda took to the air again. Lydia followed Rocco into a nearby building to see if there were any useful supplies or money left there.

Annika led Alyssa into the center of the village. There, they did not find much. It seems as though the Crimson Company had done their best to cover their tracks. It was also obvious that the Crimson Company had not intended to destroy the village since they had even repaired parts of it that had taken damage during the battle.

Alyssa was looking around intently as Drake and Linda circled in the sky above them. Annika suggested, “It looks like the CC took over this place and used it as a base of some kind. Why else would they have repaired some of the damage that they did? However, they have left now. It also looks like they had the military discipline to clean up any and all of the remains left over from their attack.”

Alyssa nodded and sighed. She asked, “Do you think that they were trying to cover their tracks? It does not seem like these guys would care who knows about their crimes if they planned to be gone from the vicinity already. I think that you were right about them turning the village into a base. However, it must have only been meant to be a temporary one, seeing as though they have abandoned it already.”

Annika nodded back at Alyssa and pointed out, “From what we know, the CC were mercenaries earlier. They probably have to rely on a disciplined culture among their ranks in order to keep their troops in line. Their fighters are not motivated by loyalty to any society, government, or religion, as far as we know. As for why they did not burn down the village once they were through using it as a basecamp, I can only guess that they thought they might return to it later?”

Alyssa added, “Considering that they did not leave even a token force of rear guards, I can only hope that that means that the Crimson Company is not an exceptionally large outfit. They might have felt like they could not spare anyone to keep this place safeguarded on the chance that they would return later.”

Annika nodded and continued to look around. As she was doing so, looking for even the tiniest hint of something out of place, she heard Drake calling down from the sky, “Everyone, I see some places where the ground looks to have been disturbed just outside of the village walls. Also, I see tracks! Most of them look to be heading to the northeast. There could have been at least twenty, or maybe even thirty, Pokémon in the main group!”

Annika called up, “Drake, land right next to the place where the disturbances appear! We will head for your position.”

In about ten minutes, the whole away team had headed to the spot where Drake had landed just outside of the walls. There were indeed two large patches where the ground had been clearly disturbed and then packed back on. There were also a series of tracks nearby. Most of which seemed to be heading northeast as Drake had said they did.

Sylvester looked over at the patches of sandy dirt and asked, “Do we want to know what might be buried under those patches?”

Annika knew that things had to be quite morbid for Sylvester to be concerned about learning the truth about anything. She had a very bad feeling about what she and her team would find if they dug into the patches of earth.

Zoey broke the new silence by saying, “Let’s be honest with ourselves, everyone. These are almost certainly mass graves. The Crimson Company did not even see their human victims as being worthy of a burial at sea. They dumped the bodies into these patches for the sake of sanitation and to get them out of the way. In all my years of adventuring, I have never seen something so shockingly evil. I do not know what else to say, but may Arceus have mercy on their souls.”

Annika, for once, did not have any snarky anti-religious words, or even thoughts. She knew that the fate that had befallen the humans was cruel and unwarranted. It reminded her of what had happened to Marcy and Lawrence’s home years ago. Like always, Annika was determined to see justice done. In some bizarre way, despite how thoroughly she had embraced her new life as a Pokémon, she felt like the CC’s genocidal mission was somehow an attack on her. She knew that everyone in her team other than Lydia, including Zoey, knew about her former humanity. Of course, to her it did not matter much who was being targeted. This new enemy had crossed a line. Someone needed to stand up to them and end their reign of terror.

Rocco asked Annika, “So, what do we do next?”

With all eyes on her, Annika replied, “We will finish searching this village and then we will follow the main group of tracks wherever they lead. We have got to catch up to these murderers and bring them down!”

Annika’s comrades all saluted her. Drake told Annika, “It looks like there is more greenery not far to the northeast. That could make the tracks harder to follow. Hopefully, we can still follow the tracks there, or at least make educated guesses until we find something of importance to our mission.”

Zoey and Sylvester headed back over to the docks. Rocco and Lydia went to see if they could find more supplies and Drake and Linda resumed their airborne patrol. Annika just stood next to Alyssa for a few moments with her claws clenched into fists. Then, the two of them headed back inside the village.

Ultimately, the CAS Away Team spent the next two hours searching the village. They only found a few coins, food items and other provisions in terms of useful supplies. The partially-cleared away wrecks of two sailing ships were found just off of the docks. It seemed like the local aquatic wild Pokémon stayed clear of this area. Alyssa could only sense a few of them at the very edge of her Aura Sense’s range when she stood on a pier. They also found no real clues as to where the Crimson Company was headed next. Other than the tracks they had already found, that was.

After completing their searches, Annika gathered her team in the center of the village. She admitted, “Right now, it is early afternoon. Under more normal circumstances, I would have us rest here tonight and then set off early tomorrow morning. However, I think that time is of the essence right now. We need to keep tracking the Crimson Company to see where their next target is. Hopefully, we can find some allies to help take them down when we finally encounter them. Whether they are humans or Pokémon, help would be nice. If we have to stand alone, we will at least try to use hit and run tactics and pick their units off tactically until we can face them in an open battle with a good chance of victory.”

Alyssa asked her wife, “So, we are setting off after the CC now?”

Annika nodded and then earnestly replied, “Time wasted could be lives lost when dealing with this kind of enemy. We will set off immediately and do our best to follow the tracks that our enemies have left. We need to take advantage of the fact that the Crimson Company still almost certainly does not know that we are after them. We will need to employ stealth and discretion at first when we encounter the red-clad savages. However, we will still remain focused on our goal of bringing about a swift end to their unjust and violent activities. Does everyone understand?”

Everyone present, including Lydia, nodded. Then, Annika began to lead the way out onto the plains once more. She was determined to have her team cover as much ground as possible during the rest of that day. She knew that if the tracks were still somewhat fresh, then the Crimson Company had not left the camp all that recently. Annika’s team needed to find out where the former mercenaries were going. Of course, Annika still wanted answers to a couple of key questions about the CC. For one, who was their new patron. Also, what was their true motivation for trying to exterminate humans. With any luck, all of those questions would be answered for her and her team soon enough. They would hopefully learn them while engaging and defeating the raiders for good.

By the time that night fell, Annika and her team had found themselves in a forested region not far from the coast. Thankfully, they were still able to follow the tracks from before. It had rained recently and the ground was somewhat wet. However, that did not slow down most of the adventurers very much. Lydia fell a bit behind on occasion. However, she did not complain much and kept following Rocco, who was walking right ahead of her.

Annika and her team made camp in a defensible-looking clearing and then fell asleep. They set up the same watch schedule that they had set up for the last night of travel.

The next morning, the away team continued to follow the tracks. They did so for the rest of that day. By the time that evening fell, they had found themselves on an open grassy plain beyond the forested region. In the distance, they spotted a small town that seemed to be situated just off of a river. There were some rocky hills not far behind the town. Zoey said that the distant settlement was likely Lokua Town, a small Pokémon-run trading port located on the Keldeo River. Lokua was almost like a smaller version of Creekside in terms of its primary source of commerce. Zoey also mentioned having done some research into the ruins of this area during her earlier travels. 

The tracks were getting harder to follow. However, Annika made the decision that her team was going to have to advance carefully into Lokua Town and see if any members of the Crimson Company were there. The away team members had discussed the problem of there probably being more than one active force of Crimson Company Pokémon, including their aquatic unit, before. However, they knew that they needed to focus on the task at hand for now. They would have to dismantle the Crimson Company detachment by detachment if it came down to it. 

After making camp on the grassy plains for the night and planning to head into Lokua Town the next morning, Annika fell asleep while Alyssa kept the first watch. As the leader of the Creekside Adventurers’ Society was falling asleep, she could only wonder who or what she and her comrades would find in Lokua Town.


	10. Lokua Town

Annika was leading her away team across the grassy plains towards Lokua Town. Earlier that morning, she had rallied her away team to set off towards the riverside settlement. At this point, they thought that there was a good chance that at least some members of the Crimson Company were in the area, or had been in the area recently.

Annika’s team continued to close in on Lokua Town. She noticed that far in the distance the clouds of a stormfront were beginning to form and head south. That only increased her resolve to reach the town before it began to rain over the plains. Annika also remembered her friend Marcy as she saw the storm clouds. She knew that Marcy had the ability to predict storms and other severe weather in advance of its occurrence. That ability even extended to other natural disasters, such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.

Annika was snapped out of her semi-trance by Drake calling down, “I can only guess, unlike Marcy, but at this rate, it looks like we should easily make it to Lokua Town before the storm would reach us. We may want to consider finding a place to stay, even if just for a night, once we enter the town.”

Annika replied, “Agreed. We should also be careful about making too big of a scene when we enter Lokua. Just in case some of the locals are sympathetic to the Crimson Company. We don’t want to make unnecessary enemies.”

Linda also shouted down, “I see what looks like a camp just to the northwest of the town! The area past the river looks far browner. I see a series of rocky hills to the north from the campsite.”

Zoey seemed to think for a moment and admitted, “As I hinted before, I remember doing some research on this region before. I think that there was an ancient temple rumored to be somewhere in this those hills. The presence of one had been reported by centuries-old sources who’s reliability I was not always certain of.”

Sylvester added, “I would love to explore such an old temple and see what it hides. Still, I realize that we are on an important mission now. Besides, we do not even know if the temple is there for certain.”

Rocco pointed out, “Seeing as though we are professional adventurers, you would think that exploring ancient temples would be part of the ‘bread and butter’ of our activities. Still, I don’t think that we have ever done that sort of thing.”

Alyssa chuckled and said, “It is certainly something that we should add to our collective resume eventually to be sure. Still, I think that stopping the third great evil that our society has faced after the AML and the CTO does indeed take first priority right now.”

Annika nodded and finished, “Maybe one of these days, we will get a contract that involves us delving into an ancient temple. Still, for now we have lives to save and a rogue company of Pokémon to bring an end to.”

Everyone nodded as Lydia admitted, “Exploring an ancient temple sounds fun, but dangerous. Of course, maybe if earlier visitors had cleared out all of the traps and guardians, it would be less hazardous.”

Annika told Lydia, as they all continued to close in on the outskirts of Lokua Town, “We have been in plenty of fights, Lydia. When we do end up engaging the Crimson Company, or any other hostiles, find cover and let us do the real work. We will keep you safe as per our deal.”

Lydia nodded as the away team made its way closer and closer to the riverside town. By the time that they arrived, it was still morning and the storm was still a good distance away from the northern outskirts of town. Lokua Town had mostly gray stone buildings that had smooth sides and similarly smooth streets. Some of the settlement’s buildings had brown tiled roofs and some of them had flat roofs. Many of the buildings were very utilitarian in their designs, but a few of them possessed some aesthetic flourishes.

Annika and her team managed to find an inn in the southern part of town. The innkeeper was a male Drampa who sized up the new arrivals as they filed into the first floor of his three-story wood and stone inn.

The innkeeper smiled at the adventurers and their young intern and said, “You all are an interesting-looking bunch. Regardless, welcome to the _Placid Poliwag Inn_. My name is Kahun and I am the innkeeper here. Are you interested in rooms for the night?”

Annika walked up to Kahun and replied, “Yes sir, we are interested in rooms for the night. We will take two couples’ rooms, two single rooms and one double if you have the space available.” Annika was planning to put Drake and Rocco in their own rooms and have Lydia and Linda share a room. She and Alyssa would share a room, as would Sylvester and Zoey.

Kahun nodded and then responded, “That should be doable, I will see to it that they will be ready within the next two hours. You can pay then, if you so desire. Might I suggest leaving your packs here with me and then exploring Lokua for a bit before that rainstorm possibly hits town? I can give you a local map to borrow if you so desire.”

Annika replied, “We will take the rooms and the map, sir. Thank you for your generosity. …Also, might I ask if anyone else new to the region has arrived in town recently. I am just curious.”

Kahun looked to be thinking for a moment and then seemed to remember something. He told Annika and her comrades, “Some Pokémon in red lead by a female Blaziken made a camp just to the north of here not long ago. They have been good guests for the region so far. …In fact, I think that their leader had been given permission by Mayor George to make a speech in our town square in about a half-hour from now. I sure hope that she finishes before the storm reaches town, if it does at all.”

Annika did her best to suppress a smile as she knew that a golden opportunity had now fallen into her team’s lap. She would have to listen in to the enemy leader’s speech stealthily. She told Kahun, as he handed her a map and she took her pack off and put it down, “We will be on our way and should return within a couple of hours. Thank you for everything sir…I mean it.”

Kahun smiled to Annika and finished, “Enjoy Lokua. Ours is not a large town. However, we do have a market that sells goods from all around. We also have some nice restaurants. Hopefully, you can tell me why you are in town when you get back. It’s your prerogative, though.”

Annika nodded back to Kahun and told him, “We will be off now. See you in a couple of hours, sir.”

As soon as Annika and her away team members had all put their packs down in the inn and headed outside, Annika ordered, “We will explore this town for just a short bit and then make our way over to the town square. We need to find some places to observe the leader of the Crimson Company’s speech without being easily spotted. We may even have to split up in order to do so effectively. Our goals will to be to learn as much as we can about our the Crimson Company’s motivation and objectives as we can. Then, we can plan a strategy to defeat them, or at least heavily hinder their efforts in this region.”

Alyssa asked aloud, “I do wonder if there are any human settlements in this area? Maybe the CC is just stopping in Lokua Town for a short time and then making their way farther north, or even east into the Takadian Continent’s interior. There may be another human settlement they intend to attack within a few days march of here, but none in the immediate vicinity.”

Drake added, “We won’t know for sure what they are doing here until we listen to their leader’s speech. Even then, they may not want to give too much information away.”

Annika nodded and then motioned for her team to follow her.   
All eight of them spent a little time looking around the southern portion of Lokua Town, no more than ten minutes. Then, they made a beeline for the town square.

Upon arriving at the town square, the CAS Pokémon and Lydia saw that a crowd of around fifty Pokémon had already formed in the open, circular space. Around fifteen Pokémon wearing bright red sashes were standing around the northern section of the square where a raised wooden platform has been assembled.

Annika’s eyes narrowed as she was standing with her team nearby the main southern entrance to the square. Alyssa noted, “I sense a few more auras coming this way from the north in a cluster along with some others trickling in from other directions. What’s the plan, Annika?”

Annika was about to say something, when Lydia spoke up to say, “Ma’am it is getting close to lunchtime and there is a café on the edge of the square that still looks to be open. Maybe we could sit there at some separate tables and watch the speech intermittently while trying to look inconspicuous? If we tried to hide somewhere, then we would just look really suspicious to anyone who did end up spotting us. Hiding in plain sight may be the better option.”

Alyssa smiled over at Lydia as Sylvester admitted, “It could be risky, but if we split up and only look over to the speech giver every once and a while, we could avoid detection. Of course, if nobody here actually knows who we are, our risks go down even further.”

Annika nodded and ordered, “Let’s head over to the café when we see a Blaziken taking the podium and then sit down. Lydia, you will sit with Aly and I. Rocco will sit with Drake and Linda. Zoey and Sylvester can sit together. Keep your ears pricked so that we can all hear the speech. However, do not try to seem overly focused on the enemy leader or her troops. We do not want to draw too much attention if we can help it.”

Annika’s comrades all saluted her and then Alyssa pointed out, “The cluster of auras incoming from the north is nearly to the square. I sense a truly intense sort of determination in the lead aura. That might be the leader of the Crimson Company. Also, I think that the rainstorm is slowly getting closer. Regardless, we should be heading over to the café now.”

The CAS Away Team members and their intern, who seemed very pleased with herself, all headed over to the café and took seats at three separate tables. Annika glanced over to see that there was now a female Blaziken making her way into the square form the north with a male Golem and a female Ice Sandslash by her side acting as “honor guards.”

The Blaziken walked over to the raised platform that had probably been set up for her benefit and then leapt up onto it in one swift and fluid motion. She looked around the area and then seemed to smile.

Annika was wondering what the apparent leader of the murderous   
Crimson Company would have to say to the citizens of Lokua Town. She noticed that the Blaziken was wearing two crossed red sashes. None of her subordinates were wearing the same style of garment.

As the crowd quieted fully and looked up expectantly at the Blaziken, her followers took up positions around the raised platform. They seemed ready to defend their commander in case anyone in the crowd was to threaten her.

A Politoed wearing a dark blue and green sash stepped forward and informed the gathered citizens of Lokua, “Everyone, the leader of our guests in the region has asked to speak to us today regarding what she says is a mission of urgent importance for the future of our world. All that she asks while she speaks is that nobody interrupt her or otherwise try to disrupt the proceedings. The Crimson Company has been willing to buy supplies here and engage peacefully with the citizens of Lokua Town and as Mayor, I have made the decision to allow their leader to speak to you all today. Now, without further ado and ideally before it begins to rain, I will hand things over to our guests’ leader.”

The Blaziken bowed briefly to the Politoed, who Annika realized had to be Mayor George. As George stepped back into the crowd, she finally spoke, beginning, “Good day, everyone. To introduce myself, I am the Head of the Crimson Company. As for my name, you can call me Vanessa.”

Annika remembered the name Vanessa from somewhere. She had certainly known someone who went by that name before. She decided that she better just drink her tea and focus on what her new enemy had to say. She would try to remember where she had heard the name Vanessa later.


	11. The Terrible Truth

Annika was sitting across from her wife Alyssa and nearby their intern Lydia at an outdoor café table adjacent to the Lokua Town Square. Their comrades Drake, Linda and Rocco were sitting at a nearby table. Zoey and Sylvester were sitting at a third table nearby both of the others. Storm clouds were beginning to gather in the distance. The sky above the town square was slowly but surely darkening.

The leader of the anti-human paramilitary group known as the Crimson Company stood atop a raised wooden platform at the opposite end of the square. Her subordinates flanked the platform on both sides. The red-clad Blaziken Vanessa continued, after having introduced herself by name to the assembled crowd, “Might I ask you to direct your attention to the storm clouds advancing on us from the north? They are an apt metaphor for what is coming, and what I seek to prevent. You see, Pokémon are a wonderfully diverse lot. We are all amazing and powerful creatures with great individual and group potential. Even as the leader of an organization of disciplined fighters, I despise having to harm other Pokémon. Getting my metaphor back on track, the storm clouds represent a future that I know is coming if drastic action is not taken. A future, where Pokémon are shoved aside and even subjugated by an alien species that does not realize their own inferiority. I am talking, of course, about humans.”

Annika thought, “So, she believes that humans will come to rule this world if left unchecked. Why and how?” She noticed that Vanessa’s voice had become angrier when she had said the word “humans.”

Vanessa continued, “Many civilized Pokémon value human craftsmanship. However, that skill is not why I see humans as dangerous competitors to Pokémon as a whole. The humans are an ambitious race. They will use their crafts making skills to develop greater and greater technology. In time, it will come to outpace anything that can be consistently made by Pokémon. The humans will use their technological edge to marginalize civilized Pokémon and make settlements like this one obsolete. They will look for ways to harness the power that all Pokémon have as their birthright for their own exclusive good. They will consider fine folks like yourselves not as equals, but as chattel. Worse than that, they could see you all as, dare I say it, mindless beasts! A future could easily come to pass, be it in decades, centuries, or millennia, when humanity surpasses Pokémon to the point where they become the unquestionable dominant species on this world! Then, they will begin a horrific reign of abuse and misrule!”

Annika was having trouble reading the crowd as vague memories began to trickle into her mind. The storm clouds continued to get closer as Vanessa took a deep breath and declared, “The humans must be stopped before the point of no return is reached! Even if it takes the removal of the entire human species from this world, we must secure a future where Pokémon can lead happy, free and prosperous lives among their own kind and their own kind alone! The Crimson Company fights for a better future, a future where the world becomes devoid of human life and human tyranny! We cannot allow compassion or mercy to prevent us from doing what must be done for the good of this world’s true inheritors! Future generations will either thank us for saving their world, or blame us for allowing the vile humans to steal their future!”

Annika could sense the conviction and hatred in Vanessa’s voice. Memories were continuing to swirl in her mind as she tried to focus on listening to the speech, while also drinking her tea and trying to not look suspicious.

Vanessa looked over the crowd of Pokémon and asked them, “You must be wondering how I know that a future of human misrule will come to pass if we do not act now? Well, I will tell you what I have seen and what I have done that has convinced me of what I must do for the sake of this world.”

Vanessa took a deep and dramatic breath and explained, with the eyes of the crowd all on her, “My Crimson Company was founded in order to beat back and ultimately destroy a cult of humans in the southern reaches of this very continent. This league of evildoers called themselves the ‘Order of Mastery.’ They were a band of humans who were working actively to establish their own dominance over Pokémon by whatever means they could employ. My company defeated the Order of Mastery three years ago and it was not long after that that I came to a momentous conclusion. I realized that the Crimson Company needed to work not merely as mercenaries, we needed to work for the good of all Pokémon. We needed to stop the human menace in its infancy before another Order of Mastery could rise up.”

As the crowd awaited Vanessa’s conclusion, Annika’s mind began to develop a much clearer picture of who she had once known who went by the same name.

Before Annika could finish putting all of the mental pieces together, Vanessa finished, “You are now probably thinking something along the lines of ‘The Order of Mastery was an isolated incident. One group of human bad apples does not spoil the whole species.’ However, there is one more truth that I have not imparted to you yet. I know that humans have the potential to ruin a world for Pokémon because I have seen it with my very own eyes! However, those were not the keen eyes of a Blaziken looking out at you all today. My eyes then were the eyes of a human! …Yes, as insane as it sounds, I was born as a member of the very species I now so loathe! Some benevolent force transported me to this world and I awakened as a Torchic. It was after that that I learned of the Order of Mastery and founded the Crimson Company to fight back against their evil deeds. I saw what humanity is capable of as one of them. I believe that divine will has seen me sent to this dawning world in order to save its future from human misrule! I have been given an amazing and unique blessing and I intend to take full advantage of it! The Crimson Company is growing and we have come into the good graces of a powerful patron north from here on the Larokian Continent. We ask for whatever help you can give us in order to assist us in stopping the human menace and creating a free and prosperous future for all Pokémon! We will be off for the temple ruins to the northwest if any of you wish to join us, or give us any aid. I will leave you with a warning, however. Do not try to stop us if you feel, for any misguided reason, that we are in the wrong. We would hate to have to harm any Pokémon without good cause. However, we will do so gladly in order to advance our mission of ending humanity. …With that, I will bid goodbye to you and your lovely town.” Vanessa then quickly jumped down from the platform. She and her soldiers then bowed to the locals and Mayor George and abruptly left the square.

Mayor George and the Pokémon in the crowd began to debate all that they had just heard as rain began to fall on Lokua Town. Some of them cheered for Vanessa and her followers. Some of them were standing still in shock and some of them just murmured to each other, or acted like Vanessa was insane. 

Annika herself was deeply in shock. Alyssa, Lydia and her other comrades were all giving her concerned looks. Not only was she not the only human that had been sent to this world, the other one had not been sent back either. To make matters worse, the other human was now the leader of the evil organization that her society had sworn to stop. However, the true worst of it was that Annika knew exactly who this Vanessa was. Annika had known a human orphan girl in the orphanage she had been raised in named Vanessa. Now, Annika knew that they had to be the same person for more reasons than them just having the same name.

Alyssa asked her wife, “Honey, what are your orders? We know where they are heading now. …Annika…”

Annika snapped partially out of her fugue and stammered, “I know exactly who she is. I knew her… Guys, we need to return to the inn and get somewhere private. I need to explain somethings to you all. Tomorrow, we will pursue the enemy. We know where they are going now, even if we don’t know why.”

Zoey thought for a moment as they all paid and left the café. She then muttered, “So, there really is a temple in this area. I wonder if it could really be the famed Rock Temple after all.”

Sylvester said, “Well, I guess that we might have our chance to explore the ancient temple after all. We will have to see what happens next.”

Drake added, as they made their way back towards the _Placid Poliwag Inn_ , “I think that we should send a letter or two back home again soon. I think that we will have a whole lot to tell them.”

Annika told Lydia, the only Pokémon in the group of eight that did not know her full past, “There is something important that I will have to tell you once we get somewhere private.”

Lydia just nodded, still clearly shocked and confused by what Vanessa had said during the conclusion of her speech to the citizens of Lokua Town.

The CAS Away Team made their way back to the _Placid Poliwag Inn_. Once they reached the establishment, retrieved their packs and paid for their rooms, Annika noticed that there was nobody else but them and the old innkeeper Kahun on the first floor of the building. She led her team to a large table on the first floor and then everyone who could sat down around it.

Once everyone was huddled around the table, Annika told Lydia, “You are probably wondering what I meant when I said that I knew Vanessa before. You are also probably confused about the idea of a human becoming a Pokémon. …You are about to become privy to my secret, Lydia.”

Lydia was listening intently as Zoey pointed out, “I did not believe what you are about to hear when Sylvester first told me at Annika’s instruction. However, it is all true, as crazy as it will sound at first.”

Lydia looked up at Annika, who explained, “Lydia, I was born a human orphan in a world far beyond this one. That world was ruled by humans. There were no civilized Pokémon there, as far as I knew. I hated my life at the strict orphanage run by a religious sect dedicated to Arceus. My caretakers and friends all turned on me once they discovered that I was gay. I hoped to escape that life for months and even years until I was sent to this world one day and transformed into a Sneasel. From there, I made new friends, founded the CAS and went on to face and defeat both great evils and lesser foes alike. However, after the defeat of the Acolytes of the Mystic lands at Mount Flattop, the legendary Pokémon Palkia appeared in Creekside Town and revealed that she was the one responsible for turning me into a Sneasel. She tried to take me ‘home’ and make me human again. However, with help from Alyssa and the citizens of Creekside Town, I was able to convince her to let me stay.”

Lydia nodded, her brain clearly still somewhat overloaded with information. She then asked, “What about Vanessa then? How does she fit into all of this?”

Annika nodded as the eyes of her wife and all of her comrades were on her now. She sighed and explained, “One of my friends when I was a young orphan was a girl named Vanessa. Even before I became an outcast, she was sort of one because she was obsessed with Pokémon. She would jump at the chance to look at any new book or article about them and was always happy to meet one in person. She never got along with most of the other kids and teenagers at the orphanage due her to obsessive fascination. When I was revealed to be gay, Vanessa began to avoid me as well as everyone else. Still, she was never as harsh to me as the others.”

Annika took a deep breath and then continued as her wife and comrades were all waiting for her to continue with baited breath, “I believe that that Blaziken is the same Vanessa. In major part because Torchic was always Vanessa’s favorite Pokémon. I will admit that this Vanessa is far bolder and more confident than the Vanessa that I knew. However, she has had at least three years in which to ‘grow’ as a person. My going theory is that Palkia sent Vanessa and I to this world either on the same night. Or, she sent Vanessa soon after she sent me. Vanessa was not missing when I fell asleep for my final night at the orphanage. She must have intended for Vanessa to help defeat the Order of Mastery as she intended for me to help defeat the AML. That plan seemed to have worked out initially on both counts. …Alyssa, did you sense Vanessa lying at any point during her speech?”

Alyssa told Annika, “Not really. If you think that Palkia came to retrieve her and then was convinced not to do so, like what happened with you, I doubt that based on the emotions I sensed within her.”

Annika sighed and explained, “I think that Vanessa may have not been picked up and sent back by Palkia because of what happened with me at Creekside. The demigoddess may have decided that if I was happier as a Pokémon, then Vanessa should be as well. Even she probably could not have predicted the dark path that Vanessa is walking down now.”

Rocco asked Annika, “Well, do you think that you can save her from herself? Could you convince to stop her murderous crusade?”

Annika shook her head and admitted, “Regardless of who her patron is, she seemed too far gone to me. I think that she came to her current genocidal beliefs after defeating the Order of Mastery without an external figure pressuring her down the path to evil. I am sure that Alyssa would agree with me that her conviction seemed absolute. I fully intend to confront Vanessa and stop her. However, I wish that somehow I could have found her sooner. Maybe, just maybe, I could have convinced her not to take on such a vile mission?”

Alyssa told her wife, “Annika, it is not your fault in any way that Vanessa has become who she is now. She has made her own choices, as horrible as they are. We will stop her and whatever her insane plans are now that we know who she is and what she wants.”

Drake told Annika, “My strongest advice as the most senior CAS member here other than you would be to have us try and figure out where the ancient temple is today. Tomorrow, we will set off and attempt to confront Vanessa and put a stop to her and whatever she is planning.”

Zoey added, “I agree. We need to get the best idea of where we need to head from here that we can. We still have time to do that today, even though it is raining at the moment.”

Linda pointed out, “The mystery patron of the CC is still a concern of mine. Still, maybe they will become irrelevant to our mission if we can defeat Vanessa?”

Lydia told Annika, “A deal is a deal, ma’am. I will do my best to help make sure that we are all supplied for tomorrow’s mission. From what I do understand, if anyone can stop the Crimson Company, it would be the CAS.”

Annika nodded and smiled a bit. She then ordered, “Very well, then. We will see what we can learn about the nearby ruins today and then set out first thing after breakfast tomorrow morning. Aly, your Aura Sense will certainly come in handy if we can get close enough to the temple to locate any enemies. I will entrust all of you to head out into town when you feel ready and learn what you can. Alyssa, you should talk to the innkeeper Kahun and see what he knows. …I need to sit and think for a bit if that is ok with all of you.”

Annika’s friends and wife all nodded and then got to work. They intended to learn what they could that day, get settled in their room for the night and then prepare for the next day’s mission. They were going to go and see if they could confront Vanessa and bring down her anti-human operation before it could take any more lives.


	12. The Rocky Plains

Annika spent what felt like an hour or two sitting and contemplating what she had learned that day. The leader of the murderous Crimson Company was none other than her childhood friend Vanessa, now living as a Blaziken. Vanessa had always loved Pokémon, an obsession that had grown as she had aged and become more distant. However, the new Vanessa was far bolder and more charismatic than the old Vanessa.

Vanessa had gained confidence from her transformation like Annika had. However, it seemed as though Vanessa’s experiences as a Pokémon had convinced her that humans were unworthy of life. She now believed that humanity had to be stopped before they would supposedly advance technologically, conquer the world as a species and severely marginalize Pokémon.

Annika’s wife Alyssa came over to her and told her, “Honey, I just spoke with Innkeeper Kahun, he has given me some pretty solid directions to the ancient temple. We should be able to reach the ruins tomorrow afternoon if we leave early in the morning. I made up the, partially true, excuse that we were traveling adventurers who were interested in exploring the ruins to see what we could find there from both an academic perspective and to treasure-hunt.”

Annika nodded and told her wife, “You should try to write the directions down, Aly. Good job regardless.”

Alyssa folded her arms and looked down at Annika. She replied, “It does not take Aura Sense to find out that you are still upset about Vanessa. Even though she, like everyone else at that orphanage, stopped being your friend after you were revealed to be a lesbian, you still cannot believe the fanatic that she had become.”

Annika sighed and admitted, “She was never very hostile before, just awkward and very focused on her own interests. I know that people change, but she has become someone very different, someone evil. That still holds true, even if she honestly believes that she is doing what has to be done for the good of this world. Aly, I don’t want to kill her. Still, chances are that Vanessa has murdered multiple humans personally by now and she would gladly do so again. I have to confront her, even if I doubt that it will lead to her realizing just how wrong she is.”

Alyssa simply nodded and told her wife, “I would expect no less from you, my love. I would also doubt that Vanessa is savable from herself now. Still, someone needs to call her out on her vile actions and it might as well be you.”

Annika nodded and then wondered aloud, “Do you think that Vanessa knows about us, about the CAS? If so, was there a reason that she did not seek us out over the last few years, as a friend, or even as a potential enemy?”

Alyssa told Annika, “You will have to ask her yourself if you have the opportunity. I would also suggest that we check out our inn room and make sure that we get settled in there. We may be only staying there for one night, but hopefully, Kahun and his small staff still keep the rooms well maintained.”

Annika nodded and then she followed her wife upstairs. Now that the CAS knew where their destination for the next day was, they would be able to advance on the temple and confront the Crimson Company. With any luck, the former mercenaries would still be there when the CAS members arrived at the ancient temple.

The next morning, Annika and Alyssa woke up together and then headed down to the main floor of the inn. Once there, they found most of their comrades awaiting them. It was not long until everyone had made their way to the main floor of the _Placid Poliwag Inn_ and was ready for breakfast, which was provided by the innkeeper and his staff.

After packing up all of their things, Annika led her team, with Lydia behind Rocco at the very rear of the formation, north across a tall river bridge. Then, she led her team, with Alyssa in charge of directions, across a small stretch of grassy plains and then farther north onto a series of low rocky formations. The CAS Away Team spent a few hours trekking across the barren expanse of stony ground. Very few plants, if any, could grow here as the whole vicinity seemed made of solid rock. Annika noted that this was kind of strange, as did Zoey. They also all noticed that the Crimson Company camp that they had seen yesterday had been packed up. There was no trace of it easily visible from a distance now.

Eventually, after having stopped briefly to eat a quick lunch, the CAS Away Team started to notice a place in the distance where there was a one-ended canyon that seemed to lead to something at its closed end. Alyssa believed that that was the most likely place for where the Crimson Company had been headed.

As the Away Team closed in on the canyon, Alyssa announced, “I sense around eight auras coming this way. They are moving methodically and carefully. …It could be a CC patrol.”

Drake called down, “I see various short stone ridges jutting out here and there. We should possibly try to hide behind some of them and ambush the patrol.”

Zoey added, “I would recommend us trying to leave one or more of them alive and interrogate them. We will want to know what other defenses they may have ready on the way to the temple.”

Annika quickly nodded and said, “Agreed. Aly, keep tabs on those auras. Once they get close enough, we will all need to take cover and see if we can catch the enemy off guard if at all possible. Lydia, you are to stay behind cover where I tell you to, ok?”

Lydia nodded to Annika and replied, “Absolutely, ma’am. I will leave the fighting to you guys. You are the professionals after all.”

The CAS Away Team members advanced rapidly until they found two conveniently placed stone ridges located nearby each other to hide behind. Alyssa’s Aura Sensing organs kept tensing up as she did her best to pinpoint the incoming patrol. Luckily, the auras kept getting closer. In less than an hour, they were right on top of where Annika and her comrades were hiding.

Linda floated up a smidgeon and peered just over the rocky ridge that she was hiding behind along with Rocco, Sylvester and Zoey. Annika, Alyssa, Lydia and Drake were hiding behind the other ridge to the immediate left. Linda said, “I see an Ice Sandslash leading two Ice Sandshrew and two Graveler. There is also a Hariyama leading two Makuhita. They are all wearing red sashes.”

Annika replied, “We still seem to have the element of surprise, let’s take advantage of it! Engage them!”

Immediately after Annika had given the order to attack, Lydia ducked as low as she could, even though she was already fully covered by the ridge.

Alyssa Mega Evolved as the CC patrol began to realize that they were being ambushed. Annika jumped up onto the ridge and fired an icy pulse into a Graveler, staggering and slowing him. Rocco aimed his tail over the ridge he was hiding behind and bombarded the other Graveler with a barrage of spikes.

Drake and Linda took to the air and Linda began to charge up an Aura Sphere in front of her face. Zoey jumped up to the top of the stone ridge she had been hiding behind. She fired a beam of psychic energy from the red gem on her face into one of the two Makuhita, knocking her out in a single shot.

Sylvester ran out of cover and fired off a shot of high-pressure water into the Graveler that Annika had injured, finishing him off easily. 

The Ice Sandslash shouted, “We are being ambushed! Make a fighting retreat and focus on getting back to camp!”

As Linda fired off her Aura Sphere, and downed one of the Ice Sandshrew in one strike to the stomach, the surviving Graveler sent a cascade of rocks falling down on Annika and Alyssa. Lydia narrowly evaded the boulders, which also could have struck her from above.

Annika felt shooting pains across her body from the boulder impacts as Alyssa looked fine and climbed up onto the ridge alongside her. Sylvester and Zoey moved up to engage the two remaining CC fighting Pokémon.

The Ice Sandshrew who was still standing launched a dagger of ice into Drake who shuddered in pain, but kept flying. The Ice Sandslash began to fall back. However, she briefly curled up to harden her hide as she cautiously retreated.

Alyssa charged up an Aura Sphere and used in to knock out the remaining Ice Sandshrew. She then ran after the Ice Sandslash patrol leader.

Drake dived in to cover Alyssa. He used pulses of green light to suck the life out of the remaining Graveler, knocking the foe clean out and healing some of his own wounds in the process.

Annika leapt down and into battle, she saw Zoey channel a powerful mental blast right into the hostile Hariyama’s mind. Sylvester blasted both of the wrestler-like enemies with a cone-shaped rush of high-pressure water from his mouth. Both enemies were still standing, but teetering heavily now.

Annika fired a blast of icy air into the fleeing patrol leader. She knew that her team could not allow that enemy to reach her base camp and alert CC reinforcements. The attack did not wound the enemy much. However, it slowed her down enough that Alyssa could begin to catch up to her.

Linda fired off a blast of fey energy-charged wind that downed the wounded enemy Makuhita with a single shot. The hostile Hariyama stuck Sylvester in the stomach with a powerful thrust from one of his muscular arms. The Samurott staggered back, as Zoey nailed him with a beam of mental energy right between his eyes and he toppled over.

Now, the Ice Sandslash was fleeing all alone. Alyssa managed to catch up to her narrowly and slam her in the back with an open palm strike that channeled an intense burst of energy.

The Crimson Company patrol leader fell to her stomach and then flipped onto her back. She launched a dagger of ice at Alyssa, who swatted it away with one of her reinforced, paw-like, hands.

Zoey called out, as the whole away team began to advance, “Surrender! We have some questions that we would like to ask you.”

The badly-wounded patrol leader sighed and replied, “Ok, fine. …Who exactly are you all and what do you want to know?”

As the away team converged on their new prisoner and Lydia slowly emerged from her cover, Annika replied, “We are the ones who will be asking the questions here. For one, what other defenses does the Crimson Company have set up at the temple?”

As Alyssa’s Mega Evolution wore off, the Ice Sandslash stammered back, “My Lieutenant is commanding the team protecting our new base camp just in front of the temple while the Company Head enters the temple proper with a small team of her own.”

Zoey gave the Ice Sandslash an inquisitive look and then asked her, “Tell us, what does your Company Head want with the temple, exactly?”

The patrol leader sighed and replied, “All I know is that there is something in that temple that our leader wants. She called it a ‘key part’ and said that it is critical that she obtain it. I think that she also mentioned parts like it in two other temples on the Larokian Continent to the north of here. She sent two other detachments there, one to hunt for each of those two parts.”

Annika was quite confused as Zoey’s eyes narrowed considerably. The Ice Sandslash began to stand up somewhat and say, “I don’t think that you will be able to stop our Company Head, regardless of who you are.” She then began to charge up her body with icy energy.

Annika leapt into action and buried her metallic claws into the enemy’s chest before she could discharge her own attack. As the Ice Sandslash slumped backwards, Zoey said, “Boss, I know why the Crimson Company is here. The temple at the end of this canyon must actually be the Rock Temple, one of three of its kind. The other two being the Ice Temple and the Steel Temple, both of which should be located on the Larokian Continent, where I was born and raised.”

Sylvester asked, “Zoe, does that mean that the Crimson Company is looking for…”

Zoey continued, “Yes, the ancient Army of Mew must be what they are after. A rumored hidden vault is said to seal thousands of dormant construct Pokémon away. I could never find the vault, now it seems as though Vanessa is going after three pieces of the key to it.”

Alyssa told Zoey, “When you first joined us, you mentioned how you had spent years looking for the vault and never bothered to secure the pieces by yourself. You wanted to safeguard the Army of Mew’s location just in case anyone wanted to use it for evil ends. Now, you think that Vanessa thinks that she can find the three pieces of the key?”

Drake added, “Zoey, you always claimed that whoever could assemble the Master Key to the vault and use it at the entrance would gain the power to command the vast army and its four guardian generals, the Legendary Golems. Even though the legends you told us say that Mew left her artificial army behind to protect the world and serve a worthy commander, you always believed that the mighty force could be commandeered for evil purposes.”

Zoey nodded nervously as Rocco said, “Having an army like that sure would have helped us against Lucius, or especially Eternatus.”

Annika punched one of her open claws with the balled up other one and said, “I’ll give you all three guesses what she will command that army to do if she gains control of it. I do not know if this development relates to her mystery patron at all. Still, we need to advance now and see if we can stop Vanessa before she steals the Rock Part of the Master Key.”

Lydia admitted, as she was walking up to everyone else, “I am not really familiar with any legends about ancient hidden armies. However, if there are really thousands of Pokémon that could be commanded by whoever unseals them, then I see why Vanessa wants to gain their allegiance. She wants to use the ancient army to exterminate humanity!”

Alyssa finished, “We best be moving out again now, like Annika said. Zoey, you always said that the key parts were nigh-indestructible. In that case, we just have to stop Vanessa before she can steal the Rock Part. She will need all three in order to complete the Master Key.”

Annika and Zoey both nodded and then the whole away team continued their march north towards the Rock Temple. They would have to face down the Crimson Company soldiers there and confront Vanessa in order to prevent her from stealing the Rock Part.


	13. The Rock Temple

Annika and her team hastily advanced towards the Rock Temple located at the end of the canyon. As they closed in on their destination, they began to get a better view of the camp that had been set up right in front of the ancient structure. From what everyone could tell, the Rock Temple had been carved into the back wall of the one-ended canyon. The Crimson Company had set up their camp directly in front of the structure in order to prevent anyone from accessing it without their permission.

Annika’s team was not trying to be stealthy this time. With Lydia staying somewhat behind the seven professional adventurers, they were making a beeline for the camp. They had no time to waste if they wanted to locate Vanessa inside of the Rock Temple and defeat her.

Alyssa’s Aura Sensing organs tensed up and she announced, “There are roughly ten auras in the camp! I am starting to picking up some inside of the temple proper as well.”

Annika nodded and told everyone, “Be ready to engage the enemy as soon as they notice us! We are not here to engage in conversation, we are here to stop the Crimson Company!”

As the eight Pokémon continued to advance on the camp, Alyssa pointed out, “They should be aware of us now. Be ready for them to engage us at any moment. They will probably realize that we are not friendly to them since their patrol has not come back and we making a fast approach towards their camp.”

Annika nodded and then told Drake and Linda, “You two need to cover us from the air and deal with any enemy flyers.” She then said, “Zoey, focus on sniping while Sylvester covers you. Alyssa will advance at the head of our formation with Rocco and I right behind her. Lydia, stay behind the rest of us and try not to draw any enemy attention.”

Lydia nodded and told Annika and company, “Good luck. Remember that you all won’t have the advantage of surprise on your side this time and they outnumber you.”

Alyssa called out, “Here they come! Get ready everyone!”

As the CAS Pokémon charged down the canyon, a male Golem wearing a bright red helmet emerged from the tents followed by a trio of Geodude. Above him, two Fearow flew up from the campsite to engage Drake and Linda. Two Granbull advanced out of the camp rapidly to flank the Golem. Two Ursaring also advanced out from the camp, but were still behind their main force.

Alyssa Mega Evolved as the Golem commander raised up his arms and dropped a cluster of rocks on top of the front of the CAS force, Annika grunted in pain as she was bombarded. Alyssa and Rocco took some hits, but kept coming.

As the pair of Fearow flew in to duel with Drake and Linda, Annika sniped the Golem with a blast of frozen air as the three Geodude advanced to cover their leader.

Alyssa ran up to a Geodude and dropped her in one hit using a palm strike to her rocky head.

Rocco called out, “I’ve got the Granbull!” He spat a stream of poison at one of the fairy dogs and she staggered back in heavy pain as the venom struck her chest.

Zoey fired a beam of psychic energy at another Geodude, hitting right between the eyes and knocking him clean out. Sylvester rushed forward and slashed into the final Geodude with a watery slash from his tail, practically slicing him in half as he went down quickly.

As the two Granbull did their best to engage Rocco, the Ursaring advanced into the action as well. One of them tore into Sylvester with a claw while the other one brought his arm down on Alyssa’s chest and sent her reeling as he recovered from the recoil of his own attack.

The Golem called out, “Who are you intruders? What do you want with us?”

Annika replied, as she saw him preparing to throw a boulder at her, “We are the ones here to stop your leader Vanessa and her murderous scheme!”

The Golem responded, “I will not let you reach her!” He threw his boulder, which Annika narrowly evaded.

Annika fired a second icy blast into the Golem and continued to close in on him as Alyssa nailed the Ursaring who had struck her directly in the stomach with a second palm strike.

Rocco had dodged a headbutt and taken a bite from the Granbull he was fighting. He then leapt forward and sunk his toxic fangs into the enemy that he had injured before. She collapsed to the ground, limp and no longer moving at all.

Zoey took aim at the Ursaring that Alyssa had injured and pelted him with star-shaped projectiles that he was unable to evade. This distracted him enough that Alyssa was able to narrowly block his second arm swing with her two arms working together.

One of the Fearow came crashing out of the sky and landed near Annika as she had been unable to withstand Drake and Linda’s attacks.

Sylvester rapidly hacked into the Ursaring that he was fighting with his front claws and then withstood an arm strike from that foe.

The Golem commander charged at Annika past her comrades and tried to punch her. However, she rolled to the side and his fist did not connect with her body.

Rocco withstood a headbutt from the surviving Granbull. He then grabbed his foe’s wrists with his claws, pulled her closer to him and sunk his venomous fangs into her throat, taking her down in one brutally effective attack.

Alyssa whirled around and shouted, “I’ve got you covered, Annika!” She then quickly charged up and fired off an Aura Sphere that struck the enemy Golem in the back and finally caused him to slump over from extreme injury.

Drake told Linda, “I will deal with this final flyer, you help the others on the ground!”

Linda nodded her whole body and fired an Aura Sphere into the badly wounded Ursaring that Alyssa had been fighting. Her blue energy ball nailed the foe in the head and he was sent flying back as he blacked out.

As Drake downed the last Fearow with a close-range blast of draconic energy, the remaining Ursaring took a point-blank blast of high-pressure water from Sylvester and a mental assault from Zoey. The final foe collapsed onto his front and was clearly neutralized.

Annika smiled as Lydia was in awe of the veteran adventurers. As Alyssa’s Mega evolution wore off, she ordered, “Alright team, into the Rock Temple we go! We will loot what we can from the camp later if possible.”

As Alyssa healed herself with a pulse of sparkling light and then healed Annika and Sylvester, Zoey said, “We will have to see how deep into the temple the CC has managed to penetrate. There should only be one entrance to this place. Therefore, if they are planning to exit, they will have to go through us now.”

Alyssa nodded and announced, “I can sense eight auras in the temple. I believe that five of them are standing guard nearby the entrance and three of them are deeper inside. …I recognize one of the auras that’s deeper inside the temple as Vanessa. We should get moving now!”

Annika nodded in agreement and the CAS Away Team, with Lydia not far behind them, advanced quickly into and then past the Crimson Company’s camp.

Annika and her away team now stood in front of the great edifice of the Rock Temple. As series of imposing columns and worn down, now unrecognizable, statues hid a smaller entrance that was now open. It seemed like there was no longer any sort of door protecting the way inside of the temple, if there had ever been one.

Before Annika and her team could advance into the temple, they saw a Jumpluff float out of the door followed by two Sudowoodo and two Ambipom. They were all wearing bright red and looked ready to fight.

The Jumpluff narrowly evaded an icy blast from Annika as Drake landed and charged towards one of the Sudowoodo. Linda and Alyssa each fired an Aura Sphere into the other rocky fake tree Pokémon, downing him with their combined attacks.

One of the Ambipom got in front of Drake and struck him with two powerful chops from her tail hands. As Drake recoiled in pain, Zoey blasted the Jumpluff with a barrage of starry projectiles. Sylvester blasted the surviving Sudowoodo with a shot of water that wounded him via erosion of his rocky skin.

Linda took some heavy injury from a bombardment of rocks sent down by the surviving Sudowoodo. She was not looking in the best shape now. Rocco rushed at the Ambipom that was now charging towards Zoey and bombarded him with a storm of spiky projectiles.

The Crimson Company Jumpluff targeted Sylvester and spat out a storm of her own projectiles. There were all high-velocity seeds. Sylvester took some severe injury from the pelting, but was still standing.

While the Jumpluff was firing on Sylvester, Annika advanced and lined up a shot with claws. She fired an icy blast into the largest of the three balls holding the Jumpluff aloft. The shot hit home this time and the Jumpluff fell out of the air and to the ground. She was conscious, but badly damaged. 

Linda summoned up a series of glowing leaf daggers that she fired forward. They all homed in on the surviving enemy Sudowoodo, who dropped from the cutting swarm of homing leaves.

Drake began to charge up his body with energy as he dodged another pair of swipes from the Ambipom that he was fighting.

Alyssa ran up to the Ambipom that had attacked Drake and smashed her palm into the foe’s head. The energy that Alyssa channeled downed the Ambipom in one strike.

Rocco took a furious barrage of tail strikes from the Ambipom he was fighting. The foe then withstood a bite from Rocco that was not laced with poison.

Annika saw then enemy Jumpluff trying to get up and charged right for her. She withstood a blast of fey energy carried by targeted wind on her way over. Annika sunk her dark-energy charged claws into the Jumpluff and ended her before she could fully stand up.

The surviving Ambipom now stood alone, he tried to flee while evading a water shot from Sylvester and a psychic ray from Zoey. However, Drake discharged his energy razors and they homed in on the foe and he was cut into from all sides. He collapsed as Lydia admitted, “That was also pretty impressive. To be fair, you outnumbered them that time.”

Alyssa told Lydia, “We have all been doing this for a while. Our level of experience makes it hard for most Pokémon to fight us effectively. Most wild Pokémon, even predatory or highly territorial ones, know to give folks like us a wide berth now.”

Annika told Alyssa, “Heal Linda, Drake and Sylvester and then we will haul ass into the temple. Vanessa and two of her comrades are still in there, right Aly?”

Alyssa nodded as she healed Sylvester. Once the CAS members were healed to a reasonable extent. Annika led her team inside of the Rock Temple. They had no time to waste if they were to find and defeat Vanessa and secure the Rock Part.

As Annika and her team advanced inside of the temple, they saw statues of a Pokémon Alyssa and Zoey identified as Regirock, one of the four Legendary Golems. There were also statues of various mortal rock Pokémon placed around the interior of the temple. Annika and company also noticed some defeated Bronzor, Bronzong, Baltoy, Claydol and other construct Pokémon.

Zoey noted, as they left the main chamber and headed deeper into the structure, “Those must have been some of the ageless guardians of this place. Had anyone else gotten here first, they might have also attacked them. They are here to protect the temple and probably test those who wish to procure the Rock Part for themselves.”

Annika nodded as the away team, with Lydia a few steps behind them, advanced into the torchlit hall leading deeper into the temple. They knew that they would need to find Vanessa soon. They did not want to formerly-human head of the Crimson Company to escape. As for Annika herself, she wanted to confront her former friend, even if there was essentially zero chance of convincing her to give up her genocidal crusade.


	14. Confrontation Inside the Temple

With Alyssa leading the way on account of her Aura Sense, the CAS Away Team was making its way deeper and deeper into the tunneling passageways that made up much of the interior of the Rock Temple. They would occasionally come across a couple of defeated automaton Pokémon guardians. It certainly seemed like as though Vanessa and her allies had been chewing through the automaton defenders of the temple not long ago.

As Annika followed her wife through torchlit tunnels, Rocco was making claw marks in the stone nearby certain torches. He had explained that it was an old trick of his that he had learned from his family in Caverndeep Village. The marks would hopefully make it easier for the CAS Pokémon to find their way out of the temple when it was time to leave. Just in case Alyssa’s Aura Sense was not going to be useful for whatever reason.

After about ten minutes of walking through the branching tunnels, Alyssa said, “Vanessa and the other two auras should be just ahead around this corner. They seem to be looking for something. However, I cannot tell what it is. It may or may not be the Rock Part.”

Annika nodded and said, balling up her claws into fists, “Very well then, we better turn the bend and confront them.”

With Lydia just behind Rocco at the very back to the formation, the eight Pokémon turned the bend and burst out into a large torchlit square chamber with a massive statue of Regirock at the very back. There was a pedestal between the statue’s legs that might have once held an object. However, it was bare now. There were three Pokémon in the ancient chamber. The one at the center was clearly the Blaziken Vanessa. There was also a Crimson Company Duraludon and Crawdaunt searching the chamber and facing away from the CAS members.

Annika’s gaze was fixed on Vanessa. She was angry and still a little bit confused regarding what had become of her childhood friend. The awkward girl who had loved Pokémon had become an advocate of mass murder in the name of creating a free and prosperous future for her adopted people. Annika was not sure if anything could possibly be worth the atrocities Vanessa planned to perpetrate with, or without, the Army of Mew.

As Alyssa’s aura-sensing organs looked to tense up again, Annika boldly stepped forward as Vanessa’s two Crimson Company elite escorts began to realize the intrusion that had just occurred. Annika cleared her throat as her team stepped and floated forward just behind her and called out, clear anger and frustration in her voice, “VANESSA!”

Vanessa whirled around and drew what Annika knew was a Mega Stone from her pack. The Blaziken staggered back for what looked like half a second before regaining her composure. She then narrowed her eyes and sighed deeply. Before Annika, or anyone else, could say anything else, Vanessa replied, “Hello, Annika. I was wondering if and when this day would come. It seems that what I had been fearing has now come to pass.”

Annika was stunned to realize that Vanessa clearly knew that she had also been turned into a Pokémon. She asked, “You know about me… you knew that I had also become a Pokémon? Why didn’t you come and find me then?”

As Alyssa’s aura-sensing organs began to wave behind her, Vanessa replied, “I learned about you and your society soon after the Battle of Mount Flattop. Then, of course, there was the Battle of Mount Galtia where your CAS played a pivotal role in defeating the monstrous Eternatus. Word of your accomplishments has spread far and wide, as you should know. I was not as interested in being sung for defeating the Order of Mastery, because I did not want my fame to peak early. As for why I did not come to find you once I realized that you had come to this world as well… I briefly considered it, actually. However, once I began to realize what had to be done for the good of this world’s future, I knew that you and your allies might want to stop me. I did not want to fight you. However, I did not want you in the way of my plans.”

Annika glared at Vanessa and asked her, “What do you mean about your fame peaking?”

Vanessa smiled back at Annika and replied, “You may be the heroine who saved the Grand Island from the madmon Lucius and helped end the reign of the CTO. However, I intend to be the heroine who did what had to be done to save the future of Pokémon civilization. We have been given a unique blessing, Annika. You have taken advantage of your new life in an admirable way by founding your Society. However, I see a bigger picture than you, I am afraid. I want to leave a legacy that long outlives me. A legacy of free and happy Pokémon living without fear of being made into beasts or chattel by the relentlessly abusive humans. I will not allow you to stop me from accomplishing my grim, but necessary, task.”

Zoey shot back, “We know that you intend to use the Army of Mew to exterminate humanity! I don’t know who told you about the army. Still, have you ever even considered the impact on your own soul of committing such an evil act?”

Vanessa angrily replied, “It was my company’s new patron who informed me of the Army of Mew and said that I was worthy to command it by his side! As for what you call evil, I would gladly bear such a burden on my soul for the future happiness of this world’s Pokémon!”

Rocco admitted, “She really is committed to her mission…”

As Rocco trailed off, Annika sighed and asked Vanessa, “You are not going to stop as long as you can fight, are you? We have seen your company’s vile handiwork and we cannot allow it go on for any longer. …We won’t let you keep committing atrocities!”

Before Vanessa could reply, Alyssa shouted out, “I sense two auras headed this way at extreme speed! They are coming from behind the statue. They are like no creatures I have ever sensed before!”

Vanessa Mega Evolved as her two subordinates readied themselves for a fight. She told Annika, “You are correct in saying that I will not stop my cleansing plan until it is a complete success. I have already obtained the Rock Part mere minutes ago. I am truly sorry that we have to be enemies now, Annika. However, I will not allow this world to become anything like the one that we were born into! I will become the chosen heroine who prevented a grim and hopeless future from coming to pass!”

Alyssa continued, “The auras are almost beneath us now…”

Before Alyssa could say anything else, a trap door opened in center of the floor of the chamber. Two black and light green four-legged canines leapt out of the trap door and growled at the CAS members as Vanessa grinned happily. Vanessa called out, “So, that was where the trap door was! Regardless, my patron has sent aid to ensure my escape! Goodbye, Annika. Know that if we meet again, I will do whatever I must to ensure that the future this world deserves comes to pass!”

The Duraludon and the Crawdaunt moved in to stand with the two new arrivals. The Duraludon said to Vanessa, “Go! You need to get out of here with the Rock Part! We will cover you for as long as we can!”

Vanessa saluted her troops and the two canines and then jumped down into the trapdoor and made a beeline away from the action.

Alyssa stammered, “These two monsters are Aspects of Lord Zygarde! He must be the patron of the Crimson Company! I have been told that these things act as his eyes and ears outside of his Dominion!”

Annika nodded and ordered, as the battle was about to be joined, “Aly, take the Duraludon! Rocco, Linda, take the Crawdaunt! I will lead our efforts against the aspects!” 

The two Aspects of Zygarde charged forward and Annika took a nasty bite from one of them. The other one bit down on Zoey and she staggered back in pain.

The Crawdaunt rushed in towards Zoey, but Sylvester got in his way and took a dark energy-charged slash to the gut from him. The Duraludon began to glow and charge up a blast of light. Annika narrowly rolled away from the Aspect of Zygarde that had attacked her as the ball of light came within inches of hitting her.

Alyssa Mega-Evolved and then quickly fired off an Aura Sphere at the Duraludon, who shrunk back in pain as his armor buckled from the ball of energy.

Rocco fired off a barrage of spiky missiles at the Crawdaunt who Sylvester had engaged. Linda fired off her homing leaves, which tore into the foe and left him doubled over in pain.

As Zoey cringed in terrible pain, Drake leapt up into the air and came down right in between the two Aspects of Zygarde. He projected a pulse of draconic energy that radiated out and wounded both of the Aspects.

Annika stood up and fired off a blast of freezing wind to wound and slow the Aspect that had heavily injured Zoey. Sylvester protected his girlfriend as best as he could and used his claws to tear deeply into the Crawdaunt’s armor, finally felling him for good.

The Duraludon charged at Drake and sent him flying back with a powerful claw strike that had been charged with draconic energy. Around the same time, Alyssa conjured up her bone staff and gripped it tightly.

The two Aspects of Zygarde were still in the fight. The more injured one of them sighted Annika and breathed a blast of energy that hit her in the chest. Annika was still able to fight, but fighting through severe pain now. The second, less wounded, Aspect narrowly missed Drake with the same ranged attack.

Alyssa ran forward and vaulted into the air using her bone staff. She then came back down to the ground with her staff hitting the enemy Duraludon right in the stomach.

Annika thought, “I really do love that Lucario.” As she fired off an icy blast that finished the badly wounded aspect. The creature dissolved into a series of tiny entities that looked like cells of some kind. However, they all looked frozen over and dead now.

Drake charged back into the fight and detonated a second pulse that tore into the remaining aspect. Linda took aim at that same foe. She used a high-powered gust of wind combined with fey energy to down it with a shot to the neck.

Now, Rocco bombarded the Duraludon with spiky projectiles as Zoey recovered and blasted him with a psychic ray. Sylvester launched a shot of water into the foe as well.

The badly-damaged Duraludon managed to strike Alyssa in the gut with a heavy punch. However, she stayed conscious and delivered a rapid series of strikes with her bone staff that finally brought the heavily-armored Pokémon down and out.

Annika and company heard the ground shake to the north of them. Alyssa sighed as her Mega-Evolution wore off and said, “That was probably Vanessa creating a partial cave in to ensure that we could not easily pursue her very far. Even though we wiped out much of her forces, she still got away with the Rock Part.”

Annika nodded as the second aspect dissolved into smaller cells. She then ordered, “We better be heading out of here now. Let’s return to Lokua Town and then figure out our next move. This will probably surprise none of you, but I am not giving up on pursuing Vanessa. Whether or not she or Zygarde know where the Army of Mew’s vault is, we need to try to obtain at least one of the other two key parts before she and her allies can.”

Zoey said, “I at least have a pretty good idea where the Ice Temple is and I think I have some idea of where the Steel Temple is from my earlier research. We will have to head to the Larokian Continent either way. … I would advise that we head for the Ice Temple’s likely location first. That is in major part because we might be able to get some local help in that area… the temple is likely not far from my hometown of Izpuk.”

Annika nodded and then replied, “We will return to Lokua for now and then make our way to the Takadian Coast. Then, we will sail north for Larokia and see if we can stop the Crimson Company there.”

Drake added, “We really better compose and send a letter or two back home as soon as possible. We truly have learned a lot since we last sent one.”

Rocco asked, “I just wonder why Lord Zygarde is aiding Vanessa? Why would he want the humans to be wiped out?”

Sylvester responded, “I think that we all wished that we knew the answer to that question right now. For now, what worries me is that Zygarde is the ruler of a large realm in northern Larokia that he calls his ‘Dominion.’ With his army behind whatever remains of the Crimson Company, our enemies will outnumber us significantly, even without the Army of Mew.”

Annika knew that Sylvester was right. However, she was not going to give up now. She was going to stop Vanessa, no matter what her former friend believed about the righteousness of her vile mission.


	15. Leaving Takadia

Annika and her team were able to make it back to the Crimson Company’s now abandoned camp and rest the night there. They also looted the camp for all of the money and supplies that they could carry. They wanted to deny their enemies resources while also increasing their own.

From the canyon camp, the CAS Away Team made haste back to Lokua Town. There, they decided to stay for one more night at the _Placid Poliwag Inn_. They knew that the Crimson Company may have won some sympathizers in the town. However, they needed to try and catch a riverboat from Lokua to the Takadian Coast. From there, they would need to book passage on a ship headed to the Larokian Continent, which was to the north of their current position.

Zoey knew that the CAS Pokémon would need to make haste to her home town of Izpuk in the southernmost region of the Larokian Continent’s main mountain range. The Espeon was very sure that an ancient complex within a day’s trip of the mountain town that she had been born and raised in housed the Ice Temple.

Now, it was early evening and Annika was sitting at a table on the first floor of the inn, alone. The old Drampa innkeeper Kahun had thankfully been happy to let the CAS team stay at his establishment again for the same price. That held true even though he still did not know who they were and why they were in the region.

Annika had sent out the rest of the Away Team, led by her wife Alyssa, to do whatever they could to book the whole group passage on a riverboat that would take them to the coast. That trip should only take a day and would likely take them to Carsia, a small city where they could hopefully mail some letters home and book passage on a ship headed to southern Larokia. They could not afford to waste much time if they wanted to stop the Crimson Company from procuring the Ice Part.

As she sat at the table and looked over a map of Larokia to try to plot the quickest route from the coast to the mountain town of Izpuk, Annika was mentally grappling with the situation her team was now in. They would certainly need to alert their home base in Creekside Town about how their expedition had progressed. However, they also knew that they were now facing both the Crimson Company and their backers in the Dominion of Zygarde. It would certainly be good to know why Zygarde was backing Vanessa’s organization and to what extent. It was clear that he had told her about the Army of Mew and possibly the locations of the Rock, Ice and Steel Temples. There was certainly not much time to waste now in trying to keep at least one of the key parts out of enemy hands.

Another thing that had concerned Annika was that Vanessa’s fanatical conviction to her horrifying new cause had been reaffirmed when Annika had confronted her. Vanessa had not seemed to want to fight her old childhood friend. However, she had made it quite clear that she would do so willingly if it came down to it. Whatever experiences has shaped Vanessa’s worldview since she became a Pokémon, they had hardened her heart and made her much bolder than she had ever been before. Annika also regretted having not had the chance to tell Vanessa that it was almost certainly the Legendary Pokémon Palkia who had made her into a Torchic years ago.

Lydia, who had not been sent out with the others, walked over to Annika carrying a cup of tea made by Kahun’s staff. The Snivy Girl asked Annika, “I still don’t entirely understand your origins, but it sounds like Vanessa was not like her current self as a human. What do you think changed?”

Annika sighed as she took the tea cup from Lydia and told her intern, “I do not necessarily think that it was one single incident. I think that she changed over time. She did so in order to become who she thought she needed to be in order to best take advantage of her new life. When I was growing up, I never thought that I would be the head of anything, or become a renowned heroine. However, when I became a Sneasel that fateful day, I knew that I needed to rise to the opportunity that I had been given. I did not want my new life to be an ordinary one and so I did what I could to found the CAS and make it a success.”

Lydia admitted, “Well, it has become a big success, that is for sure. I have heard some of your adventure and war stories during the time that we have spent together and I will say that I am certainly impressed. Still, I have never done anything on even the level of your society’s earliest adventurers. Like when you rescued Linda that is. Overall, I am glad to have met you and your comrades. Traveling with you all is certainly better than being on the streets, or being imprisoned, that’s for sure.”

Annika told Lydia, “I am going to be honest with you, this is probably going to get a lot more dangerous from here on out. We will be facing down more enemies that will want to remove anyone who stands in the Crimson Company’s way from the equation. Lydia, if you want, I am willing to release you from our deal and allow you to stay here in Lokua Town with some money to let you stay in this inn for a bit until you can find a job, or get back to Arasia.”

Lydia shook her head no and told Annika, “We made a deal, ma’am. You said that if I acted as your ‘intern’ for the duration of this expedition, then you would take me back to Creekside with you and get me a job there. I intend to hold you to your end of the deal. Besides, you and your away team are the closest thing I have to friends, or a family, right now. Why would I want to stay here and have to worry about what may become of you all without me around.”

Annika sighed and smiled at Lydia, telling her, “You are a good kid after all, Lydia. I guess that you intend to hold us to our word. Just like I would expect you to hold to your word. Still, I would have let you stay here if you had taken that option. I do not want to endanger you unnecessarily.”

Lydia smiled and nodded. She then told Annika, “I have never had parents, or a mentor figure, so it’s nice to have someone older around who I feel like I can listen to and learn from.”

Annika nodded and continued to smile at Lydia. As she sipped her tea, she tried to convince herself that the CAS could pull through once again and stop the Crimson Company and their Legendary backer. However, she was worried that Vanessa and her allies would very possibly be able to prove a worthy challenge for her society and all who would stand with them.

It was not long until the other members of the away team managed to trickle in to the inn. Alyssa finally came in and informed Annika and Lydia that they had managed to obtain passage on a riverboat that was leaving the next mid-morning soon after breakfast time. Everyone in the away team ate dinner on the first floor of the inn. Then, they all headed upstairs to get some sleep and prepare to depart Lokua Town again the next morning. This time, they would be headed to the coast where they would try to book a ship at Carsia Harbor and set off for the southern coast of the Larokian Continent. A trip that would likely take between three and five days at least.

The next morning, the CAS Away Team ate one last breakfast at the inn. They then said goodbye to Innkeeper Kahun and his small staff. Soon after that, they boarded the riverboat that Alyssa had chartered the day before and set off down the river to Carsia.

That late evening, the riverboat arrived at the small coastal city of Carsia. The Away Team, who’s funding had been boosted by the money that they had looted from their fallen Crimson Company foes, managed to arrange a stay for a couple nights at a medium-sized inn nearby the docks. They were hoping to do their best to find a ship headed for southern Larokia, ideally somewhere on the coastline as close to Izpuk as possible.

Annika told her team to split up that morning and see what they could do about finding a ship headed for Larokia. Zoey had said that the closest harbor to Izpuk was the walled coastal town of Gladia, which sat nearby the river delta the formed not far downstream from the mountainous region that contained both Izpuk and what was the most likely location of the Ice Temple.

Rocco Drake and Linda were going together to look for a ship headed for Gladia. Drake was also going to mail a couple of letters at the local post office that were intended to reach Creekside Town. Sylvester and Zoey were going with Lydia to also look for a ship that could take them to Gladia. Annika and Alyssa were walking together through Carsia Harbor looking for anyone to talk about booking passage to Gladia with.

Annika and Alyssa were now hoping to find some sort of bulletin board that would ideally show them a list of docked ships and where their next planned destinations would be. As Annika spotted what looked a bulletin board not far in the distance, Alyssa asked her wife, “You seem to have grown somewhat attached to Lydia lately. Am I wrong in suggesting that?”

Annika replied to her wife, “I like the girl. She is surprisingly loyal for a former street urchin and seems to have grown attached to us as well. I still have not fully gotten over how rough you were to her earlier.”

Alyssa looked somewhat guilty and told Annika, “I think that I really got too caught up in the moment. Maybe I was looking for a bit of excitement? Either way, Lydia has not caused us much trouble since we took her on as what you call an intern.”

Annika nodded as the couple approached the bulletin board and began to look over the listed ships and their proclaimed destinations. Soon, Annika pointed to one of the entries on the board and said, “It sounds like a ship called the _Kingdra_ is headed out of this port for Gladia tomorrow. She is listed as being docked at pier number five. Why don’t we see if we can find her and speak with her crew?”

Alyssa nodded and then the two females made a beeline for pier number five, which was not far ahead of them. Upon reaching pier number 5 they saw a tall and sturdy looking ship with multiple masts and two rows of oars. The ship was painted a light blue color and had a figurehead that was indeed an intricately carved reproduction of the rare oceanic Pokémon Kingdra. The ship also featured six mounted Ballistae and was being loaded up with cargo by some Pokémon dock workers being directed by a Krabby.

As Annika and Alyssa looked up at the impressive vessel, they heard a male voice saying, “She certainly is a beauty, isn’t she?”

Both adventuresses whirled around to see a Kingler wearing a fancy blue hat scuttling towards them. He had a spyglass sticking out of his light pack and seemed well-equipped for a nautical voyage.

Before either Annika or Alyssa could say anything in reply to the Kingler, he explained, “The name’s Jacopo, I’m the Captain and owner of this lovely ship. I’ve had her for a good two years now and we’ve sailed to just about every landmass in this world.”

Annika asked Captain Jacopo, “Captain, is it true that you are sailing your fine vessel to Gladia on the Larokian Continent for your next voyage?”

Jacopo nodded and responded, “Aye lass, that I am. Are you interested in transport to Gladia? Or, do you have cargo you need hauled there? We are leaving before noon tomorrow either way.”

Alyssa told Jacopo, “We would be willing to pay whatever your fare is for eight passengers. We will probably need five or six rooms, if you have them available. We need to get to Gladia as soon as possible, so we will take whatever accommodations you can give us.”

Jacopo seemed intrigued and responded, “That can be arranged… I have to ask… Have the two of you ever met a Zangoose named Eliza who lives down south in Shawlia?”

Annika was quite surprised, but she still nodded yes. She then replied, “You mean the Head of the Shawlia Adventurers’ League? Yes, we know her. We helped her get her organization off the ground a couple of years ago.”

Jacopo smiled and said, “So, I finally meet some members of the famous Creekside Adventurers’ Society. Eliza mentioned you all when I spoke with her down in Shawlia. Her little league helped my crew recover some stolen cargo once. She said that the Weavile and Lucario in the Creekside Society were close. Regardless, you all did the world a real service against that monstrosity Eternatus. I do not know why you need to get to Gladia, but my ship will be safer this voyage with your team aboard. … you will still need to pay the fare, though.”

Alyssa smiled at Jacopo and asked him, “Should we meet you here tomorrow morning ready to board your lovely ship, Captain?”

Jacopo nodded and told Annika and Alyssa, “Your team should head over here as soon as you can tomorrow morning. We’ll get you to Gladia as fast as my ship can sail.”

As the Captain of the _Kingdra_ scuttled away, Annika smiled thinking about all the impact that she and her comrades had had on the world. Annika truly believed that Vanessa would never be celebrated like she was. How the formerly-human Blaziken could think that committing genocide would make her a famed and respected heroine was beyond Annika.

Annika and Alyssa headed off to find and regroup with the rest of their team. They had found their transportation to Gladia. Now, they would need to make their final preparations for the voyage and set off to hopefully reach the Ice Temple nearby Izpuk. They would need to do all that they could to secure the Ice Part before their enemies could. 


	16. The Voyage to Larokia

The day after meeting with Captain Jacopo of the _Kingdra,_ Annika and her away team boarded the vessel and set off for Larokia. Drake had managed to successfully mail the letters he had written at the Carsia Post Office. They would hopefully reach Creekside Town sooner rather than later. One of Drake’s letters was intended to be read by the CAS membership still at home and by the local government of Creekside Town. Another letter was intended to be a personal one for Drake’s husband Zeke. Linda had also had Drake mail a letter meant for her family to receive. Sylvester had given Drake a letter to mail to his family as well. In total, four letters were given to be sent to Creekside as soon as practical. 

Captain Jacopo had estimated that it would take roughly four days for his ship to reach Gladia going at full speed. The vessel was to make haste to reach the coastal port. From there, Annika and her team would need to head into the mountains towards Zoey’s hometown of Izpuk. While Zoey was not exactly excited about returning home, she seemed to know how necessary it was that the CAS Away Team reach the Ice Temple as soon as possible.

The first two days of the voyage from Western Takadia to Southern Larokia went by relatively uneventfully. The ocean was reasonably calm and the sky was clear and sunny. The _Kingdra_ was a well-maintained and well-stocked ship that the CAS members had pretty much the full run of. They had all been given access to pleasant and well-furnished cabins. Annika and the others had noted that they were the only passengers on this voyage. However, the lower holds of their ship were stocked with various trade goods bound for Gladia.

The third day of the voyage to Larokia had been somewhat rougher than the days preceding it. The _Kingdra_ had had to endure a moderate storm as it continued to head northwest towards Gladia. However, the ship had weathered the storm with no hands or passengers lost. Jacopo’s prized vessel had proven that she could handle the wind and the waves quite well. Annika had wished that Marcy had been with them. The Absol could have probably predicted the incoming storm even before the ship had sighted it in the distance.

It was now what was intended to be the final day of the voyage. Everything indicated that the southern coast of the Larokian Continent would soon be in sight for the crew and passengers of the _Kingdra_. Annika and Alyssa were standing on the deck of the ship nearby the railing with Lydia not far away. It was less than an hour after the passengers had eaten their lunches. 

Annika could see some Wingull in the distance. She hoped that the presence of the avian Pokémon meant that land would be sighted by the crew soon.

Alyssa looked over at her wife and told her, “I have been picking up some odd emotions in the local Pokémon’s auras today. I am not sure if all of them are wild.”

Annika looked and felt a bit concerned and told her wife, “In that case, you should certainly keep scanning, darling. There could be some kind of pirates, raiders, or other dangerous sorts around here. We certainly want to reach Larokia with this ship and our team intact.”

Lydia said, “I certainly hope that we will reach land soon. This has been my first oceanic voyage and I am still not sure if I want to make a habit out of this sort of thing.”

Annika chuckled, “At least Rocco has not gotten too seasick on this trip. That has been a relief to everyone on the team.”

As the trio of females stayed topside, Drake and Linda came up to enjoy the sun before their sea voyage ended. Sylvester and Zoey also came up together and looked out at the open ocean from the bow of the _Kingdra_. 

After what felt like a couple of hours, Annika noticed that a quartet of Wingull were starting to make their way closer to the _Kingdra_. They were maintaining a close formation and looked intent on something.

Alyssa suddenly declared, “I am picking up multiple auras just underwater closing in steadily on all sides! There are at least fifteen of them in total. They seem intent on attacking and I have to assume that we are their target!”

Annika grimaced and said, “I bet that those Wingull are with them! Linda, engage those flyers! Drake, inform the Captain that we are about to be under attack! Lydia, go and retrieve Rocco and tell him to prepare for battle! Everyone else, prepare to attack these enemies as soon as they surface! Let’s hope that they do surface.”

Alyssa told Lydia, “Go and get my Mega Stone as well! I think that I will need it very soon.”

Lydia rushed below decks as Linda and Drake took off to carry out Annika’s orders. Zoey and Sylvester started to look underwater as Alyssa and Annika prepared to engage any incoming Pokémon that they saw.

Linda was now streaking towards the Wingull, dodging blasts of water. She returned fire with a series of homing leaves that badly wounded one of the airborne enemies.

Now, some of the crew members of the _Kingdra_ were preparing to spring in to action as Captain Jacopo took the ship’s helm and called down, “Who do you think we are dealing with?”

Alyssa called back up, “They seem too organized to be wild…”

Linda called back, “I see red bands on these Wingulls’ wings!”

Annika sighed, remembering that the Crimson Company had some sort of aquatic division based on Phira’s earlier testimony to Zoey. She told Jacopo, “Captain, these enemies are working for the organization that we are headed to Gladia to try and stop!”

Jacopo nodded and told his crew, “Mon the ballistae and prepare for a possible boarding action! If they look to be heading beneath the ship, then dive right in and pursue the scallywags!”

A number of Krabby and other aquatic Pokémon prepared for action around the top deck of the _Kingdra_. Annika decided to rush forward with Lydia and Rocco still not back yet. She took aim at the Wingull that Linda had wounded and blasted her from the sky with a single shot of freezing air.

As the ballistae were loaded, Linda did her best to keep the Wingull away from the main deck. Drake leapt up into the air and sped towards the three enemy flyers, intending to help Linda by engaging her pursuers.

Alyssa seemed very focused as Rocco emerged onto the deck. Lydia was right behind him, carrying Alyssa’s Mega Stone. Alyssa ran over to Lydia as Rocco fired off volleys of spikes at the Wingull to distract them from pursuing Linda.

Alyssa took her Mega Stone and smiled at Lydia as Annika missed a Wingull with a second icy blast. Drake started to charge up his body with energy as he told Linda, “Just keep them off of me for a little longer!”

Suddenly, four Dewgong surfaced. There were two on the port side and two on the starboard side of the _Kingdra_ along with two Tentacool per side. The crew immediately fired off four of the Ballistae at the swimming enemies.

As the Dewgong fired off beams of ice from their horns and the Tentacool fired off barrages of bubbles, they continued to advance on the _Kingdra_. Annika believed that they had surfaced now to try and draw fire from the Wingull. These Pokémon were all wearing bright red and blue sashes. These were members of the Crimson Company’s aquatic division. Somehow, they had learned that the CAS was opposing their efforts and were doing their best to stop the _Kingdra_ from reaching Larokia with them aboard.

One Ballista bolt practically disintegrated a Tentacool, while another nailed a Dewgong with a headshot. He sunk beneath the waves, dead the instant the bolt had impacted him. The other two shots missed and the artillery crews began to reload.

Annika rushed forward towards the nearest railing as did Alyssa. A ray of ice struck Annika in the chest, but she shrugged it off quickly. Alyssa Mega Evolved. She then charged and fired an Aura Sphere into the Dewgong that had blasted Annika, badly wounding her.

Suddenly, three Wingull collapsed to the deck as Drake had blasted them all of out the sky with his energy razors. Annika ordered, “Linda, Drake, head to the stern of the ship! Engage the enemies coming at us from the rear if at all possible!”

Drake and Linda did as they were told as Zoey called out, “We may have a big problem boss!”

Two Gyrados who were now in the process of Mega Evolving were now rearing up from the ocean and taking aim at the two frontal ballistae. A Tentacruel and another Tentacool had surfaced behind the two sea serpents and seemed to be waiting for something. 

Each Gyrados took a ballista bolt and shuddered in pain. They then unleashed pure energy beams from their mouths at the artillery pieces. The two weapons were smashed to splinters as their crews narrowly avoided being caught in the blasts.

Zoey pelted a Mega Gyrados with star-shaped projectiles and then ducked some bubbles from the jellyfish Pokémon who were now slowly advancing.

Rocco charged forward and bombarded the Mega Gyrados that Zoey had attacked with spikes from his tail. The mighty sea serpent looked faint and started to groan in pain.

Annika shouted to Lydia, “Go and grab as many blast seeds and other projectiles as you can from our packs! I am not sure what I can do to water Pokémon at this range!”

Lydia saluted Annika and then darted back downstairs.

As attacks flew from both sides, Alyssa launched an Aura Sphere into the air that sought out the severely wounded Gyrados and struck him right in the head. The mighty sea serpent collapsed back into the water and sunk below the ocean. He had been slain by the Lucario’s attack.

The other Gyrados shook his head and focused himself. He then blasted Rocco with a second beam of energy. The Drapion recoiled in pain, but refused to go down.

Suddenly, the Tentacruel and Tentacool right next to him were propelled towards the deck past their Gyrados ally by a wave that seemed to have been spontaneously conjured below them.

Zoey sniped the Tentacool down in one hit using a beam of psychic energy. However, the Tentacruel kept coming. Sylvester barely slowed him down with a wide blast of water.

Annika fired an icy blast at a Tentacool enemy closing in on her part of the ship. The enemy was injured, but she still kept coming. The crew members nearby Annika finished reloading their artillery pieces and then fired, eliminating the other Tentacool and the Dewgong that Alyssa had injured with extremely well-aimed shots. 

Seeing only one Tentacool left on their side, Annika and Alyssa headed for the bow and Alyssa conjured up her bone staff. Rocco was firing off swarms of spikes at the surviving enemy Mega Gyrados as Zoey and Sylvester were preparing to engage the incoming Tentacruel. The crew members at the bow were falling back to help their comrades hold the port and starboard sides of the _Kingdra_.

Zoey and Sylvester were sent reeling by the short-lived wave as the Tentacruel was now aboard the ship. Alyssa charged him with her bone staff as the silent tentacled creature blasted her with a barrage of bubbles.

Annika charged in alongside Alyssa and hacked into the advancing Tentacruel with her claws charged with black energy. He actually recoiled a bit as Alyssa struck him head on with her bone staff.

While the Mega Gyrados prepared another energy beam, Rocco kept bombarding him with spiky projectiles until he began to give out. Sylvester got up and blasted the enemy sea serpent with a shot of water to the head that finally sent him crashing back fully into the ocean.

Zoey called out, “I will help the crew deal with the Tentacool!” She then headed back away from the bow followed closely by Sylvester and Rocco.

The Tentacruel Annika and Alyssa were fighting coldly said, “My name is Tacitus, lead diver of the Crimson Company. My boss warned me about you all via courier. You won’t stop her!” Tacitus then fired off a blast of acid at Annika, which she narrowly dodged. A small hole was bored into the deck of the _Kingdra_ by the venomous liquid as it fizzled out.

Annika sliced into Tacitus with her dark energy-charged claws as she shouted, “So, it was you who sank Phira’s ship! We won’t let you get away with that! We know about all of the humans your unit drowned!”

Alyssa struck Tacitus repeatedly with her bone staff and he began to slink back in pain. Alyssa then called out, “Drake and Linda have dealt with the four enemies coming from the rear with some help from a couple of crew members!”

Sure enough, a slightly wounded Linda and Drake were now flying into battle to help deal with the two remaining Dewgong and one remaining Tentacool engaging the crew of the _Kingdra_. Lydia ran up onto the deck with some blast seeds in a sack. She ran to the side of the ship that the pair of Dewgong were attacking and began to hand them out.

Tacitus growled as the four remaining ballistae were preparing to fire yet again. Jacopo shouted, “We have them almost on the run! We may have lost two ballistae, but our crew is fully intact!”

Tacitus generated a small gave of water under himself and used it to jet away back into the ocean. He called out, “Full retreat! We will not stop them from reaching Larokia today!”

As the final Tentacool fell to attacks from the crew Pokémon. One Dewgong went down from two well-aimed blast seeds, one thrown by Sylvester, and ranged attacks from Rocco and Zoey.

Alyssa launched one more Aura Sphere up into the air. It sought out and connected with the final Dewgong. She took the attack and was made vulnerable to being downed by a thrown blast seed from a Krabby crew member.

Alyssa sighed, “Tacitus is diving deep into the ocean. We wiped out his attack force, but he is heading out of my range fast.”

Annika told her wife, “At least we survived this fight with no casualties, not even among the ship’s crew. We should be grateful for that and be cautious for the short rest of the journey.”

Alyssa nodded in agreement as the CAS Away Team regrouped and the crew cheered. They had stopped their enemies from sinking their ship without any loss of friendly lives.


	17. The Larokian Continent

The _Kingdra_ continued to make its way towards the southern coast of the Larokian Continent, sighting land within the next few hours. Annika had decided to fully explain the situation regarding the Crimson Company to Captain Jacopo, feeling as though she owed the Kingler sea Captain an explanation. Jacopo had thankfully been understanding upon hearing about the Crimson Company’s genocidal main objective and how the CAS was trying to put a stop to them before they could acquire the Ice and Steel parts of the Master Key. Annika had not mentioned her, or Vanessa’s, former humanity in her explanation. Thankfully, Jacopo had agreed to not charge Annika and her comrades for the two destroyed ballistae due to the importance of their mission. He also promised that he would do his best to help the CAS if their paths ever crossed with his again in the future.

By the time that the sun fully set, the _Kingdra_ had docked at Gladia Harbor. Annika led her team to a hotel nearby the center of the port settlement that Jacopo had recommended to her. Annika and her team members were finally able to rest on solid ground for the first time in a few days.

That morning over breakfast on the first floor of the hotel, Zoey had asked for permission to address the entire group. Annika had granted her that permission, seeing as though this was her home continent.

Zoey now looked over her fellow CAS members gathered at their round table and told them, “We have agreed that we will head for my hometown of Izpuk first and foremost. We want to reach the Ice Temple and try to secure the Ice Part before the Crimson Company can do so. In order to reach Izpuk, we will need to take a riverboat inland for about a day and then set off into the mountainous region directly north of there. Trekking up there should take two to three days as well. Thankfully, I should be able to lead us there. We will have to be wary of the Crimson Company, seeing as though they know that we are trying to stop them now. Also, we are now on the same continent as the Dominion of Zygarde. We need to exercise the utmost caution if we encounter a significant force of Lord Zygarde’s soldiers. His realm is not too far north of the mountains Izpuk is nestled in after all.”

Alyssa pointed out, “My Aura Sense can hopefully keep us clear of any large hostile patrols or groups of wild Pokémon. We will need to reach Izpuk as soon as we can and hope that the locals will aid us, or at least not hinder us.”

Sylvester mentioned to Zoey, “You always told me that you were not on the best terms with your family, Zoe. Why exactly was that again? Were they upset that you left home to go adventuring?”

Zoey sighed and admitted, “My family was fine with the idea of me leaving home. However, they were displeased that I was going into adventuring. They thought that that sort of profession was too rough and unsophisticated.”

Lydia asked Zoey, “Were you born into an upper crust family?”

Zoey chuckled and shook her head no. She then told everyone, “As some of you probably already know, my family is neither rich nor poor. However, my mother and father always wanted me and my little sister to try and climb the social ladder, even if that meant leaving Izpuk for good. They never even really liked me going by Zoey anyway. They thought that that name was too unladylike. Assuming that they still live in Izpuk, I am not sure how they will all react to seeing me again.”

Rocco pointed out, “It sounds like your family are snobs, Zoey.”

As Alyssa chuckled at Rocco’s usual bluntness, Annika announced, “We should focus on packing up, restocking supplies and then finding and chartering a riverboat headed upriver as soon as we can.”

Zoey nodded along with everyone else and then finished, “You all should also know that there have historically been some human nomads living in the vicinity of Izpuk. The town normally does good and fair business with them from time to time. However, one time, before I was even born, a band of them did kidnap a few of the less experienced local Pokémon. They were likely planning to try to tame them and use them as guards or trackers. However, they were rescued soon after being abducted. … My mother was one of the victims and my father was the appointed leader of the rescue mission. That was how they met.”

Annika asked Zoey, as the adventurers and their intern finished up eating breakfast and prepared to head back to their hotel rooms, “Does your mother still harbor a dislike of humans for what they did to her?”

Zoey admitted, “It was a long time ago and she was only a captive for a couple of days. She did not talk about it much. However, I have not really ever seen her interacting with humans either. Honestly, I guess that we have to see when we reach Izpuk.”

Annika nodded and then finished eating her breakfast. She wanted to ensure that her team got moving as fast as reasonably possible and left Gladia that day.

The CAS members checked out of their rooms later that morning and then set out as one group to look for and purchase some supplies for their trip inland to Izpuk. They would need to resupply somewhat and then be on their way quickly.

Thankfully, the adventurers were able to find the secondary docks where riverboats were kept moored. They chartered one that would take them all inland. They would arrive at the small town of Klataka in the foothills the next day and then set off from there up into the mountains. Zoey would be leading the way towards Izpuk as the CAS Away Team were going to try and reach the high-altitude settlement as quickly as they could. From there, they would have to reassess their situation and see what was going on at the nearby complex where the Ice Temple was rumored to be located.

The riverboat was thankfully able to be supplied and set off just after noon that day. It was still spring at this point. However, the weather was somewhat colder in Larokia. Thankfully for Annika, her body was very well-adapted to the colder temperatures. She knew that the temperature was only going to get lower as she and her comrades made their way farther north.

The riverboat carrying the CAS Away Team, including Lydia, spent the rest of the day and then most of the next day getting to Klataka. The small Pokémon trading town in the foothills was a place that Zoey had been to before in her younger years. She was able to find the local inn where the CAS members were able to rest up that night in comfortable, but somewhat cramped, accommodations.

The next morning, Zoey led the way as the CAS Away Team began to trek up the mountain road that would supposedly lead to Izpuk in at least two days. Lydia was still bringing up the rear of the CAS formation. She had been checking supplies and handling other minor “intern duties” as usual. The young Snivy had doing her best not to complain, as she always did. However, she had been visibly concerned once she saw the tall mountains that she and her employers were going to have to climb. She had admitted to envying Linda and Drake in that moment. They could both fly and therefore would not be as likely to suffer from marching up the zig-zagging mountain road.

The first day of the CAS members’ trek up into the mountains was relatively uneventful. They noticed various wild Pokémon and passed some other travelers and merchants that were headed down to Klataka from various other settlements. The adventurers managed to find a potentially defensible and out of the way spot just off of the main road where they decided to make camp for the night. Zoey said that the team had been making good progress that day and they were close to half of the way from Klataka to Izpuk’s outskirts. The team set off onwards and upwards early the next morning, determined to reach Izpuk as soon as possible.

As the adventurers trekked up the mountain road that afternoon after eating lunch, Lydia had been happy to see that the road was starting to level out more and become flatter. They were getting closer to where Izpuk sat in Zoey’s estimation.

Alyssa pointed out, as everyone continued walking and flying north, “We have thankfully not run into any Crimson Company, or Dominion of Zygarde, units up here yet. Still, that could mean a number of different things.”

Annika admitted, “Yeah, that could mean that we will beat them to the Ice Temple. However, they could have beat us there and may have already made off with the Ice Part.”

Drake called down, “From what Zoey mentioned earlier, the Steel Temple is probably located at the bottom of a barren valley to the southwest of here. I wonder if our enemies are aware of the exact location of the two temples other than the one that they have already raided? We know that Crimson Company units were sent by Vanessa to secure the Ice and Steel Parts. However, they could be more focused on searching for the temples for now.”

Zoey admitted, “Since Zygarde is a Legendary Pokémon, he may very well know where to look and have given Vanessa that information. I used to believe that the vault that houses the Army of Mew was somewhere under the Larokian deserts to the west of here. However, I could never find it. I think that the vault could actually be anywhere in the world, other than underwater I would have to assume. I could not tell you if Zygarde is privy to the true location of the vault. If he does know where it is, then he may have told Vanessa.”

Linda added, “Our enemies certainly seem to have the jump on us in terms of planning. Even though we have defeated many of them by now, they still have units that were sent after the Ice and Steel Parts. I just hope that we can catch up in time and stop them from gathering all three key parts.”

Annika admitted, “Even if we obtain one or two of the key pieces, we will have to guard them against our enemies. I think that we will have to take the part to Creekside and rally the Grand Island’s Pokémon to defend it. If the parts are truly indestructible, than I would feel safest with one or two of them in our possession. Even if we buried one, or threw it into the ocean, the enemy could possibly find it with the help of the right Pokémon.”

Alyssa sighed and added, “We may actually have to think about killing Lord Zygarde if he continues to back Vanessa. He has the resources from his Dominion to possibly overrun the Grand Island given a year or two. If we can assassinate him, then his realm will hopefully fall to internal chaos, since they thought they would always be ruled by the same immortal ruler.”

Rocco asked, “What about killing Vanessa? She is the head of the Crimson Company and the one who seemed to have come up with the idea of exterminating the humans? Maybe the whole ‘kill all humans’ movement will fall apart without her around?”

Annika knew that Rocco could be right. However, she still hated the idea of killing Vanessa, as twisted and murderous as her former friend had turned out to have become. She told her team, “For now, let’s just focus on reaching Izpuk and seeing if we can locate and secure the Ice Part. We will have to go from there afterwards.”

Annika’s wife and comrades all nodded as the CAS Away Team continued to make its way deeper into the mountains. Zoey had said earlier that at this rate, there was a small chance that they could reach Izpuk that day. However, it would almost certainly be after the darkness of night had fallen over the region.


	18. Reaching Izpuk

The sky was getting darker as Annika and company were continuing to make haste towards the mountain town of Izpuk. They had no idea how well received they would be when they reached Zoey’s hometown. However, they knew that they would need to stop at the settlement in order to resupply and prepare to investigate the nearby ruins that supposedly contained the Ice Temple.

Zoey had insisted that they were getting closer and closer to the mountain town. She was starting to remember where they were and believed that they were only an hour or two away from the southern gate of the town. The Away Team had avoided looking for a place to make camp for that very reason. They wanted to see if they could reach Izpuk before night completely fell over the area.

Alyssa noted, as the tired team continued their march/flight up the, now more level, mountain road, “I am not picking up many wild auras now. That might be a good sign that we are closing in on civilization.”

Zoey nodded and added, “I think we can make it tonight. Hopefully, someone will be willing to let us into town despite how late it is. They tend to close the gates once night fully falls.”

Annika chuckled and admitted, “I don’t think that it would endear us to the locals if we snuck in to town, even if we really do mean them no harm.”

Lydia pointed out, “I just hope that we get there soon. I know that you are used to long trips on foot. I, on the other hand, am not. Now that slopes have come into play, I am getting exhausted far more easily.”

Sylvester mentioned, “We should just be glad that the wind up here is not blowing all that strongly right now. If it was really blowing, that would probably make this trip far harder.”

Drake responded, “That would certainly be true for those of you on the ground. However, Linda and I would be in far greater trouble if the wind were to pick up sharply.”

Annika joked, trying to keep her mind off of the tasks ahead of her and her team, “Cold wind can be dangerous… I should know since I literally snipe enemies with it.”

Drake responded, “I remember when you did greedy old Melchior the Gliscor in with your frozen wind attack soon after I first met you. I remember being quite impressed with you ever since that day, Annika.”

Alyssa said, “If Leo, Ryan or Sapphire were around, then maybe they could comment. However, they are hopefully all safely back home in Creekside as we speak.”

Rocco admitted, “I am just glad that I am better with heights that I was with being on the open ocean. Growing up underground, you never really expect to go places like this, you know?”

Alyssa’s aura sensing organs tensed up as she closed her eyes. When she opened them, she said, “I am picking up a singular aura on its way towards us from due north. They seem to be inquisitive yet cautious at the moment. I do not believe that they are wild.”

Zoey suggested, “If they are headed this way from due north, then they could be coming from Izpuk. We should head towards them and try to find out who they are.”

Alyssa replied, “Sure thing. I will see if I can lead the way towards them. It sure is a good thing that Aura Sense works regardless of light levels.”

With Alyssa taking the lead and Lydia currently at the rear of the group, the CAS Pokémon continued to make their way north as the sky kept darkening. It felt like another hour almost until the aura that Alyssa had first sensed at the edge of her range was nearly to them. However, none of the CAS members could easily see the Pokémon that Alyssa was sensing.

Alyssa told the rest of the team, “They are less than roughly one-hundred feet away from us now and getting closer. Still, no sight or sound of them…”

Suddenly, a female voice called out from behind some rocks just off of the main road, “Zoella? Is that you? Who are your companions?”

Zoey blushed as Annika asked her, “So, Zoella really was your birth name after all?”

Zoey nodded as Annika mentioned, “I don’t even know who named me, at least I like my name though. It feels just unique enough for my tastes.”

Zoey then called back to the voice in the darkness, “Claudia? What are you doing outside of town at this hour?”

The voice happily called back, “It is you Zoella! I have not seen you in years, big sis!”

A female Umbreon leapt out from behind the rocks and bounded over to the CAS Away Team. She told Zoey, who walked out to meet her, “I bought a Lunar Ribbon so that I could evolve into an Umbreon a few months after you left home. You are looking at the Head Scout for Izpuk Town. I was on patrol when I realized that someone was heading down the main road and I wanted to see who it could be at this hour.”

Zoey asked Claudia, “What have our parents been up to since I left?”

Claudia replied, “Dad is still working as the security head for the main logging company in the area. Mom is mainly staying at home, but she actually accompanied me on a few of my patrols. What have you been up to and who are all of these folks with you?”

Zoey told her little sister, “Claudia, I spent quite some time searching for the vault that holds the Army of Mew, like I said that I would. I never found it and ended up joining a larger band of adventurers after I stopped in their home town. However, now there are evil Pokémon searching for the three parts of the Master Key. We need to see if the Ice Temple is really located just a few hours from Izpuk and beat our enemies to it!”

Claudia told Zoey, “I better get you all back to town. I have good news and bad news for you and your friends.”

Zoey asked her sister, “What is the news?”

As everyone walked north with Claudia at the lead, the Umbreon sighed and explained, “The bad news is that a force of Pokémon wearing bright red and white occupied the old ruins not long ago. They seemed to have a few soldiers from the Dominion of Zygarde with them. The good news is that they have not endeared themselves to the local Pokémon. That is because they have tried to exterminate many of the local humans without much of an explanation. Izpuk has been sheltering at least couple dozen humans to try and protect them from these rogue soldiers.”

Annika replied, “In that case, we need to stop these enemies before they can procure the Ice Part and leave the Ice Temple! Claudia, we need to speak with the leadership of Izpuk tomorrow at the latest! We will need all of the help that we can get it seems.”

Zoey told her little sister, “The Weavile, Annika, is my boss. You should take what she has to say seriously. As for the Pokémon that have seized control of the ruins, they work for a Blaziken named Vanessa. She wants to exterminate every human on this world out of a fear that they will one day rule over the planet as the dominant species and marginalize all Pokémon.”

Claudia replied, “This all sounds quite dramatic. I will take you all home, Zoella. Hopefully, you and your friends can sleep wherever you can there. I think that mom and dad will be interested to see you again. Oddly enough, I know that mom mentioned the name Annika once. …I can’t remember in what context, however.”

Annika decided that now was not the time to ‘toot her own horn’ and was quiet for the moment. She really hoped that the citizens of Izpuk would be willing to rally around the CAS and take the fight to the ruins in order to steal the Ice Part from the Crimson Company, or even reach it before they did.

Claudia lead the CAS Away team for what felt like at least half-an-hour until they reached a double-door gate lit by big braziers of fire. Claudia called out, upon reaching the gate, “I have returned from my patrol and bring some friendly travelers. Open the gate, guys.”

The gate’s two doors began to creak open. Annika could see a winch system on each side where some Cubchoo were cranking the gate open. Claudia led the eight CAS Pokémon inside of Izpuk Town, which looked to primarily consist of small houses and the occasional larger building. The bigger buildings were still no more than two stories tall at the tallest.

Claudia smiled and nodded to the pair of Cubchoo and lead the way into town as the gate was closed behind the new arrivals. Zoey was visibly nervous as Claudia continued to lead the way towards her family’s home.

Zoey quietly admitted to Annika, “I have not seen my parents in years. I don’t have the foggiest clue how they will feel about seeing me again. …At least Claudia was happy to see me.”

Annika replied, “As least you have parents who did not abandon you.”

Sylvester was looking around the town in what little light was available. He then whispered to Zoey, “When should we tell your parents and sister about our relationship?”

Zoey replied, “Not sure yet. Let’s just see how they react when they see me in the first place.”

It did not feel like that long until the procession of tired Pokémon reached a medium-sized house that looked like it was just one story with an attic. Claudia walked up to the front door and knocked on it repeatedly with a paw.

A sleepy-sounding female voice soon called out, “Is that you Claudia? You should not be back for another hour at least…”

Claudia replied, “Mom! Zoella is back home! She and her new adventuring buddies are fighting the same foreign Pokémon who took over the ruins!”

The door flew open to reveal a female Glaceon who looked over the nine Pokémon in shock. Zoey stepped forward nervously and said “Hello, mother. I promise you that we are here because we need help and fast. I don’t want to impose…”

The Glaceon interrupted, “You sound like you coming back home is a bad thing? Why would I not want to see my first born child again… Wait… adventuring buddies? A Weavile, Lucario, Samurott… Zoella, did you actually join the famed Creekside Adventurers’ Society?”

Annika grinned thinking, “Even some folks this far north know who we are! It sounds like even Zoey’s mother is a fan of ours by now.”

A sleepy male voice called out from the house, “Tana, who is it? I am trying to get some sleep?”

Tana called back in, “Claudius, honey, Claudia has come back from patrol with Zoella! It looks like she actually made it into the famous Creekside Adventurers’ Society, our daughter!”

Annika and company heard some loud footsteps coming their way fast as a male Beartic appeared in the doorway next to Tana and rubbed his eyes. He asked, “Zoella, I thought that you never wanted to come home?”

Zoey told her mother and father, “This is important, we are here to stop the ones who have apparently seized the ruins. They are murderous in their intent, as you seem to already know.”

Claudius nodded and asked, “Are your comrades really from the Creekside Adventurers’ Society?”

Annika now decided to step forward and reply, “Yes, we are, sir. We are here on a mission of critical importance and need all of the help that we can get. For now, is there any way that we could stay at your home for just one night? We will explain everything tomorrow morning if you will permit us.”

Tana said, “It will be somewhat tight, but of course! If you really are THE Annika, then I would be more than happy to have you stay in my home.”

Claudius added, “Tomorrow, maybe you can give us the whole story regarding these red and white-clad Pokémon. Whoever they are, they sure seem to hate humans.”

Tana told the away team, “Please, come in out of the cold now. Lay your packs down wherever you can and get some rest. We will talk tomorrow morning and see what our town can do to help you in your quest.”

Zoey still seemed surprised at how nice her parents were being as Annika led her grateful Away Team inside of the house that Zoey had grown up in. As Annika and her team all found the best places to sleep that they could, Annika joked to herself about how much bigger Zoey’s father was than her mother. As she fell asleep right next to Alyssa, she was reminded of a joke that she had heard once involving a Skitty and a Wailord.


	19. Izpuk Town

Annika and her comrades woke up the next morning in various rooms of the house that Zoey had grown up in. Tana and Claudius, Zoey’s parents, had slept in their own bedroom. Zoey had slept in her old bed that was mainly being used as a guest bed by her family now. Claudia, Zoey’s little sister, still lived with her family and slept in her own room. Everyone else slept where they could. Sylvester had slept on the floor nearby Zoey’s bed. As of now, Zoey’s family did not know that the two of them were romantically involved.

Annika had fallen asleep right next to her wife, Alyssa, nearby the main fireplace of the home that night. She had been grateful that Zoey’s parents knew of and respected the accomplishments of the CAS and had been willing to share their home for the night. So far, it seemed like Zoey’s family were nicer than the Espeon had remembered them being. It was also possible that they were mainly interested in assisting the CAS members on account of their involvement in such a famous and well-reputed organization.

Once everyone was awake, breakfast was served. Everyone ate their food. Annika made sure that her Away Team members, including Lydia, were very openly thankful for the free meal that they were receiving at the expense of their hosts.

After everyone had eaten breakfast, the eleven Pokémon gathered in the largest room of the house, where Annika, Alyssa, Drake and Rocco had slept last night. Claudius told Annika, “Seeing as though you are the leader of your esteemed organization, why don’t you explain your purpose here to us in more detail? I hold enough sway in town that I could probably get you an audience with Carmela, our current Mayor, if need be. I would like to know more about what your connection to the other new arrivals in this region is first, however.”

Annika nodded and then explained, “We are on the trail of a paramilitary organization called the Crimson Company. Zygarde seems to be backing them for reasons unknown to us at the moment. The Crimson Company’s leader is a Blaziken named Vanessa who has fully committed herself to the extinction of this world’s human population. Vanessa and her followers seek to obtain and unite the three key parts in order to create the Master Key that will not only open the vault that contains the Army of Mew, but will also give the one who opens the vault control over the army. They may or may not know where the vault really is. However, they have already obtained the Rock Part and seem to know that the Ice Part is somewhere in the nearby ruins. They have likely sent a force after the Steel Part as well. We are looking to stop them from obtaining all three key parts. That way, Vanessa cannot assemble the Master Key and open the vault. If Vanessa does become the commander of the Army of Mew, then she will use that massive force to exterminate this world’s human population. That is why we are so determined to keep at least one of the key parts away from her and her allies.”

Zoey looked over at her parents and told them, “Claudia told us last night that Izpuk has been sheltering local humans against the Crimson Company force in the region. We would like to rally the forces that Izpuk has to offer to engage the enemy at the ruins before they can procure the Ice Part and escape with it. Mom, I know that you were kidnapped by humans once, but you know that we cannot allow Vanessa to bring her atrocious scheme to fruition.”

Tana nodded and admitted, “Just because I was kidnapped and abused by humans once does not mean that I hate their whole species. It sounds like all humans are dangerous and unworthy of life to this Vanessa. I wonder what made her despise them so much?”

Annika replied, “It’s complicated. However, we have confronted Vanessa before and seen firsthand how committed to her grisly mission she really is. We also came to a human village that her company assaulted and saw what we strongly believe were the mass graves of the slain populace.”

Zoey added, “I spoke with the only known survivor of the one ship that escaped the village. It was her testimony to us, which I translated, that made us aware of the Crimson Company’s existence before we were able to gather more intelligence on them and their goals. They now know that we oppose them and will likely take action against us once they know where we are.”

Claudius stood up and said, “Well, we will have to put a stop to them in that case. At least in this region, that is. I will take you to see our Mayor as soon as you are ready. Mayor Carmela has already been willing to shelter many local humans inside of Izpuk’s walls to keep them safe from the recent incursion. Even if Izpuk proper is not under direct threat now, the town will be if this Vanessa gets control of the Army of Mew.”

Tana nodded and said, “There were certainly well over twenty-five Pokémon in the unit that occupied the ruins. Hopefully, with the aid of the elite adventurers of the Creekside Adventurers’ Society, our militia can actually defeat these foreigners and drive them back up north to the Dominion of Zygarde.”

Annika smiled and replied, “We will all do our best, to be sure.   
Now, Claudius, we would certainly appreciate it if you could take us to see Mayor Carmela at your earliest convenience.”

Claudia added, “I should go with you all, dad. As the local head scout, my word should carry some weight with our Mayor.”

Claudius nodded and then led everyone except for Tana out the front door of his home. Before everyone could leave, Tana turned to Zoey and told her, “I am very proud of you, Zoella. When you left, I thought that you were going to recklessly endanger yourself and live a rough life on the road. However, you seem to have found yourself in the company of real heroes and I could not be more happy to have been wrong before.”

Zoey simply smiled back to her mother and nodded as she followed her father, younger sister and the rest of the away team, including Lydia, out the door of her childhood home.

As Claudius and Claudia led Annika and company through Izpuk in the early morning light, Annika told Lydia, “It seems like our next course of action is going to be rallying the locals to help us liberate the ruins nearby this town and secure the Ice Part. We will probably want you to stay behind in Izpuk for this mission.”

Lydia sighed and nodded, admitting, “I will be worried about all of you. Still, no use endangering myself unnecessarily. To be honest, one day I do want to get stronger and be able to fight my own battles in more ways than one.”

Annika nodded approvingly at the young Snivy as the procession closed in on a large wood and stone building near the rough center of Izpuk Town. This looked to be the largest and the most well-decorated structure in all of Izpuk. Claudius identified it as the town hall. It was where Mayor Carmela did business and where most of the broader citizenry would meet whenever that was deemed necessary.

Claudius led Annika and company, along with Claudia, inside of the town hall past a pair of Crabominable guards standing in front of the main entrance. Most of the building looked to be one massive meeting hall, with a small atrium at the front. A Smoochum stood behind a small desk inside of the atrium. When she saw the procession entering the town hall, she asked Claudius, “Who are these Pokémon, Claudius? I have never seen them around here before.”

Claudius replied, “Donna, these are famous adventurers from the Grand Island who have come seeking our aid against the ones who occupied the ruins just to the west of our town. My eldest daughter Zoella has returned with them. They have come here bringing knowledge of the ultimate plan that the hostile foreigners are enacting. I would like for Mayor Carmela to grant them an audience with her as soon as possible.”

Donna nodded, looking somewhat surprised at all that Claudius had told her. She quickly regained her composure and replied, “I see… I will go and speak with our Mayor now. I would hope that these newcomers have valuable information about the red-clad Pokémon. We have been unsure regarding how to proceed regarding their presence nearby, as you well know.”

Donna quickly got up and made her way to a nearby door, which she quickly opened and then closed behind her. Annika mused that Donna had a surprisingly big vocabulary. She was probably a bit of a prodigy to be a mayor’s assistant, or hold some similar office, at her young age. After what felt like around five minutes, Donna returned followed by a female Frosmoth.

The Frosmoth looked over the new arrivals and said, “So, the famous Creekside Adventurers’ Society of the Grand Island has come to Izpuk.” She then chuckled, “The quest that you are on must be very important if you came to our little town to see it succeed. Come, we will talk in the meeting hall. I am indeed Mayor Carmela, by the way.”

Annika and her comrades followed Carmela and Donna into the large meeting hall. Claudius and Claudia also followed them inside. They had already heard what Annika was going to tell their mayor and her assistant. However, they wanted to see how their town’s leader would react to the information that Annika was going to present her with.

Once everyone was comfortably situation near the center of the meeting hall, Annika began her explanation of the situation with the Crimson Company to Mayor Carmela. She told the Frosmoth just about everything that she had told Claudius, Claudia and Tana earlier that morning.

Annika concluded her speech by saying, “Mayor, I know that you will not want to risk any of your citizens. However, as long as you continue to keep sheltering and associating with humans, you will be in danger from the Crimson Company and their allies. We need to secure the Ice Part and get it far away from here. That will hopefully take the enemy’s attention off of your town and also prevent them from accomplishing their end goal.”

Claudius told Carmela, “I agree with Annika. Even my wife Tana, who has suffered at the hands of humans before, understands how important defeating the Crimson Company is. It is my recommendation that we rally the local militia and march on the ruins as soon as tomorrow. As you have heard, we cannot afford to waste any time in attacking the hostiles there. Claudia and I will go with the militia and help in any way that we can. Tana might even go with us as well.”

Carmela seemed to be thinking. She then sighed and replied, “You all make very good points. If this Crimson Company has its eyes on human extinction, than that simply will not do. I will have my guards begin rallying everyone who we think will be willing and able to join the attack force. Claudius, I am placing you in command of Izpuk’s forces for this mission. I know and understand that Annika will be commanding her own team.”

Claudius saluted Carmela and told her, “I will not let you down, ma’am! We will start to rally everyone that we can and set off first thing tomorrow morning. Some of the humans that we have been sheltering may want to help us as well, seeing as though they have been targeted for death by the Crimson Company.”

Claudia thought for a moment and then pointed out, “I remember there being a rocky outcropping overlooking the eastern entrance to the old complex. That could be an excellent vantage point for sniping. A lot of the humans have bows… at least I think that’s what they are called.”

Annika smiled and nodded. She saluted Carmela and then said, “We will spend the rest of the day making our plan. We will need to make a quick assault and try to catch the enemy off guard before they can either entrench themselves or escape the area.”

As everyone filed out of the town hall, Annika was relieved that the citizens of Izpuk that she had met so far were willing to help her team. She planned to have the veteran fighters of the CAS take the lead while the Izpuk Militia came in right behind them. That way, they would minimize friendly casualties and have the toughest fighters engage the enemy upfront.

As everyone split up and Annika explained her basic strategy to her allies, everyone knew that there was little time to waste. They were going to have to assault the ruins as quickly as possible. With any luck, they would seize the Ice Part and ruin the Crimson Company’s evil plan.


	20. Assault on the Ruins

Annika and her team spent the rest of the day preparing themselves for the battle that was soon to come. Zoey went with her father and sister to try and rally as many of the locals as they could to join the assault force that was intended to break into the nearby ruins. The goal would be to seize control of the ruins and secure the Ice Part from the Ice Temple.

Annika knew that any day, the Crimson Company’s force could discover the key part and be on their way. They would be unlikely to leave so much of their forces at the ruins as some sort of diversion for their enemies. It made sense that they would leave once they had what they had come for.

That evening, the CAS Away Team was having dinner at Zoey’s childhood home. As everyone was eating, Annika asked Tana, Zoey’s Glaceon mother, “Ma’am, would it be ok if our intern Lydia stayed here at your home while we set out for the ruins tomorrow. I promise to take responsibility if she causes any trouble… which I strongly doubt will happen.”

Tana smiled at Annika and told her, “Your young ward can stay here. However, I have decided to go with you all tomorrow. I do not intend to just sit at home while you all go forth and risk your lives for what you believe in.”

Zoey looked completely shocked and asked her mother, “Mom, you really want to come with us?”

Tana nodded and told everyone, “There is a tall outcropping that Claudia has already told you all about that provides an excellent sniping position overlooking the area where the battle will likely be joined. I am going to lead a group of ten humans with bows and arrows up there and we are going to snipe the enemy from that vantage point while you all charge towards the ruins on the ground.”

Claudia smiled at her mother and admitted, “You are really going to confront your past head on, aren’t you mom?”

Zoey was still blinking very fast, as though she could not believe what she was hearing.

Alyssa whispered to Annika, “I wonder if Zoey somewhat misremembered her parents? Maybe they have grown emotionally since she last left them?”

Annika smiled and shrugged as Sylvester said, “We are very thankful to have all of you on our side. Right, Zoe?”

Zoey simply nodded and admitted, “My boyfriend is right. You have all been quite helpful to us in this critical time. I think that I finally feel proud to be a member of my own family again.”

Annika sighed and held back a tear. She knew that she had no family in this world, or any other, save for her wife Alyssa. She thought about how fortunate Lydia was to have met them when she did. Hopefully, when this whole thing was over, Lydia would be able to get her own job in Creekside and start a new life for herself. She had faith that Lydia could turn her life around in the riverside port. Annika knew what that experience was like, considering what she had accomplished soon after becoming a Sneasel. Meanwhile, Claudia and Tana looked at each in surprise at learning that Zoey had a boyfriend while Claudius merely shrugged his shoulders slightly.

Claudius smiled and said, “I have managed to gather just over twenty other locals into a militia that will march on the ruins tomorrow as soon as breakfast is over. We will meet at the west gate of Izpuk and then be on our way as soon as everyone is present and accounted for.”

Alyssa nodded and added, “My Aura Sense should prove helpful for locating enemies within the ruins. We may need to split up at some point. However, my Aura Sense should also help us to find each other if necessary.”

Annika nodded and then finished, “We should all be focused on eating and then getting some rest. Everyone here except for Lydia will be a part of tomorrow’s mission.”

As everyone nodded in agreement with Annika, Lydia looked over at the head of the CAS and told her, the sincerity clear in her voice, “Just come back safely, alright. I don’t want my ‘internship’ to end with my employers all dead.”

Annika told Lydia, “If our past record is any indication, we will be ok. We will still have to fight our hardest, however. We will have to storm the ruins as quickly as possible in order to claim victory and the Ice Part.”

With all of that said, everyone made sure to finish up their meals and then get some sleep soon after that. Zoey was still clearly slightly shocked about her parents’ willingness to help. In the case of her mother, Zoey was quite surprised at the courage the Glaceon was exhibiting.

The next morning, after eating a quick breakfast, Claudius led everyone staying at his home, except for Lydia, to the western gate of Izpuk. There, they met with twenty-two other Pokémon and ten human nomads with bows, axes and knives. The humans were wearing thick coats and leather armor. Their skin was light and their hair was dark. Thankfully, it seemed as though the local Pokémon and humans were quite experienced in communicating with each other.

Annika had not seen such a large gathering of her birth species in quite some time. She stayed quiet about it though. Mayor Carmela and Donna arrived to see the fighters off. A small reserve force of able fighters was to remain in Izpuk in case the assault force failed and there was a reprisal attack made against the town by the Crimson Company and their auxiliaries.

With the CAS Away Team at the head, the force of over forty made its way west towards the entrance of the ancient complex that Zoey, and apparently the Crimson Company, thought could contain the Ice Temple and the Ice Part. After a couple of hours of walking and flying, Tana led the ten humans up a side path that she said would lead to the rocky outcropping that they would use to snipe the enemy forces protecting the way into the ruins.

Now, with Alyssa at the head of the formation and Annika right behind her, everyone sped up their advance. Alyssa reported, “I am picking up around twenty auras milling about not far ahead! There are some smaller clusters of enemies farther ahead. They are probably somewhere inside of the ruins.”

Claudius pointed out, “They probably knew that Izpuk could end up as a threat to their operation and positioned a lot of guards in case we moved on them. Still, we outnumber them for now!”

Alyssa added, “Tana and the humans are making good progress upward! They should reach their vantage point soon!”

Rocco pointed out, “The ground below us is looking more and more like a real road.”

Zoey replied, “That means that we are getting closer! We should be just a few minutes away from the entrance arch! Get ready, everyone!”

Alyssa readied her Mega Stone as Annika saw that the old road led to a towering arch made of some sort of light blueish material that looked like stable ice. She ordered, “Drake, Linda, lead the local flyers up and keep our sniping position covered as best as you can! Aly, you lead the way forward and I will cover you as best as I can. Sylvester, Rocco, Zoey, focus on sniping the enemy and clearing a path! We want to focus on speed and efficiency here.”

Claudia volunteered, “If need be, dad and I can lead our forces to engage enemies that might otherwise slow you all down once we get inside of the arch. Your team should focus on trying to find the temple proper and securing it.”

Annika nodded as Zoey told Claudia, “Good idea, little sis! Now, I think I see the Pokémon that Alyssa was talking about earlier. …I think that they are starting to notice us!”

Alyssa smiled and said, as she held her Mega Stone at the ready, “I think that our ranged support should be just about ready now! Don’t slow down, everyone! Just keep going and watch the arrows and the enemy!”

Annika saw a pair of Glalie in front of the massive arch beginning to float towards the force that she and her wife were leading. They were both wearing red caps with pearly stones sown into their fronts. Those had to be Mega Stones. She saw over fifteen other Pokémon of various species following behind them. These Pokémon were all either wearing read, or wearing light green and black. Clearly, they had found the Crimson Company soldiers and their auxiliaries from the Dominion of Zygarde.

Suddenly, a volley of arrows fell on some of the enemy Pokémon advancing behind the two Glalie. The barrage had begun. Alyssa Mega Evolved and rushed ahead with Annika right behind her. Now, ranged attacks were starting to fly from Pokémon on the road and in the air. The battle for the ruins had begun.

The pair of Crimson Company Glalie Mega Evolved and then began to advance quickly towards the charging formation with some of their fellows behind them. Four Crimson Company flyers took off from behind their force’s front ranks and Linda and Drake moved in to engage them with some airborne members of the Izpuk militia right behind them.

Alyssa charged at the front of the allied formation and charged up one of her Aura Spheres. She launched it into one of the Mega Glalie, who recoiled from heavy injury. The other Mega Glalie looked up at Drake and tried to freeze the air around the Noivern. However, the skilled flyer ducked out of the way of the spot where the ice crystals were forming and avoided the attack successfully.

Annika was running as fast as she could towards the Glalie. She knew that she would be the most effective against these enemies at close range where she could bring her claws to bear. The wounded Glalie breathed a pulse of frozen air at Annika. However, she easily withstood the hit to her stomach and kept coming. She laughed and confidently declared, “You won’t bring me down with my own favorite attack so easily!” 

The Crimson Company Pokémon on the ground withstood a second hail of arrows along with a blast of frozen air from Tana. Claudius raised up his arms and summoned a series of icicles, which came crashing down on some of the Crimson Company defenders.

Annika now leapt into the air at the wounded Glalie as Alyssa engaged the other one. She landed on her foe’s upper face and delivered a mighty slash to her enemy as her claws took on a metallic sheen. Annika was now hanging onto the enemy Glalie and resisting his attempts to shake her off.

Rocco and Zoey blasted away at enemies in the distance as Sylvester covered them. Linda fired an Aura Sphere at an enemy Cryogonal, taking the flying snowflake down in a single shot. Drake sent a cacophonous wave out from his head which badly wounded two of the airborne enemies that had been trying to flank him in the sky.

Alyssa pressed one of her palms between the eyes of the Mega Glalie she was fighting and sent a pulse of energy into him. The floating head was sent reeling back where two of his comrades had to narrowly avoid being bowled over by him. He recovered and then blasted Alyssa with freezing wind, slowing her down slightly.

As the Mega Glalie that Annika was fighting tried to shake her off, she buried her claws deep into the upper part of his face. The Mega-Evolved ice face finally crashed to the ground and was knocked out of the action.

Claudius and Claudia continued to advance with the militia close behind them as a third hail of arrows was called down on the Crimson Company defenders. Now, the enemy was beginning to panic. They were losing fighters fast and had been outnumbered to begin with.

Drake and Linda did their best to deal with the remaining airborne enemies. One hostile Swellow was downed by an icy blast from above that Tana had fired into her. Drake and Linda made short work of the last two enemy flyers in the area with some help from the militia’s airborne Pokémon.

Now, Alyssa fired an Aura Sphere at the surviving enemy Glalie as he charged at her. The foe went down as the sphere of blue energy struck him in his opened mouth.

Annika leapt off of the Glalie she had defeated and then ran forward to join up with her wife. Around them, the Crimson Company and their auxiliaries were falling back and being routed. They had not expected such a show of force to come from Izpuk so quickly it seemed.

Claudius called out, “Look at them run! Don’t let them get too far away. Keep advancing past the entrance and into the complex!”

As two more enemies fell to a fourth rain of arrows and ranged attacks from the CAS and militia Pokémon, Annika and Alyssa regained their momentum and kept advancing. The enemy was now in full retreat and calling out as loudly as they could to alert their comrades to the attack.

Alyssa called out as her Mega-Evolution wore off, “They know that we are here now. More small clusters of auras are on their way towards the long courtyard just past the entry arch.”

Zoey said, “If the Ice Temple is here, it should be at the very center of the complex. We should keep heading west for now and see if we can find a large structure near the center of these ruins!”

Claudius called out, “We will do our best to keep the incoming squads occupied while the CAS tries to find and secure the temple!”

Now, the assault force was through the main entrance arch and the archers were no longer firing. A few enemies were still fleeing and calling out at the tops of their lungs to alert as many of their comrades to the presence of the invaders as they could. 

Alyssa closed her eyes and her aura-sensing organs tensed. She then announced, “I sense a small cluster of auras a good distance away that are not heading for us yet. I do not recognize any of them. However, that might be the enemy commander’s unit. We should consider going to engage them.”

Annika nodded and then said, “Claudius, Claudia, you and your fellows should do your best to locate enemy units coming this way and keep them off of us. Try to engage them before they can form a larger group. Aly and I will lead our team towards the center of the ruins. We will see if we can find the Ice Temple and locate the enemy commander there.”

Claudius nodded as his force continued to snipe at the few fleeing enemies, downing one of them. Claudia called out, “You can to this, Zoella! Go and make sure that they can’t escape with the Ice Part!”

Zoey nodded confidently back at her younger sister as Annika and her team made for one of the smaller entrances to the ruins proper past the courtyard.

Claudius called out, “We will draw their attention and then try to come and find you! Good luck in there!”

Zoey quietly admitted, “I had forgotten how brave my father always was in my years away from home. I can’t help but be impressed seeing him in action again.”

Annika nodded and mentioned, “You should be grateful that you have a family that loves you, Zoe. Now, let’s go find the Ice Temple and shut down Vanessa’s plan!”

Annika’s comrades cheered as the seven of them advanced into what looked like an abandoned small city made of the same mysterious material that made up the entrance arch to the courtyard. They all knew that they had a job to do. No matter what enemies stood in their way, they were going to do their best to stop the Crimson Company’s operation in the area.


	21. The Ice Temple

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello to anyone reading this. I wanted to thank you all for reading this story series thus far. I also wanted to announce something. Even though it might not get finished and therefore posted, I have been working on the first, and possibly last, spin-off story for this series. It will almost certainly be shorter than the main installments in this series by a good margin. This story’s title will still follow the ‘In the Wake of X’ naming convention of this series, even though any other potential future spin-offs will not necessarily do so. The spin-off will be set after the main ending of this story, but will try to avoid too many heavy references to the other stories so that it is more accessible to new readers. It will still be connected to Creekside Town in a narrative sense. The last thing I will reveal about the spin-off is that it’s main viewpoint character will be a Legendary Pokémon for the first time in any of my stories. With all of that said, thank you all for reading and special thanks to those of you who have left Kudos, or positive comments, on any of my stories.

Annika and the six other members of her CAS Away Team had managed to make it out of the courtyard that lay just past the entrance arch of the mountain ruins. While the Izpuk Militia was going to try and draw enemy attention away from them, they were going to try and reach the center of the ruins. There, they hoped to find the fabled Ice Temple, one of the two sister sites to the Rock Temple that they had already explored.

Alyssa was tracking a small cluster of auras deeper into the ruins. This cluster was not currently on its way towards the courtyard where Claudius and his militia would be waiting for them.

As the away team looked at the ancient abandoned buildings around them, Alyssa admitted, “There is something that has been bothering me.”

Annika asked her wife, “What is that, Aly?”

Alyssa chuckled and replied, “Why my species has a spike coming out of our chests. I never understood what function that could possibly perform, since we usually don’t body-slam our enemies. …In all seriousness, though, what has been bothering me is that we have not seen more of Lord Zygarde’s followers here yet. We are not all that far from his lands. I wonder how seriously he is backing Vanessa’s mad crusade?”

Sylvester pointed out, “He could be sending forces after the Steel Part? Also, he could be working on locating the vault that our enemies will need to find. Either way, I would be concerned about even veteran fighters like us trying to take down a creature like him.”

Alyssa added, “Lord Zygarde is said to be the incarnation of order. Vanessa claims that a major part of her goal is to preserve the freedom of all Pokémon into the future. I do not know what she said to him to convince him to lend her any aid at all.”

Rocco said, “We’ve seen Vanessa speak now. She is clearly very charismatic. She has probably swayed dozens of previously unconvinced Pokémon to her cause, if not more. Maybe that was simply how she convinced Zygarde to aid her?”

Annika sighed and mentioned, “Vanessa was not always like that. She was always very awkward and introverted when I knew her as a little girl. My going theory about her behavioral transformation is that she felt like she needed to become more of an extrovert in order to do what she feels has to be done.”

Zoey told Annika, “Boss, I know that you wish you could have saved her from walking down the path of evil. Still, right now we have to focus on stopping her. Even if we have to kill her, we can’t let her carry out her genocidal mission.”

Annika nodded as the away team continued to advance deeper into the ruins. She knew that Vanessa’s devotion to what the Blaziken saw as the good of all Pokémon was unwavering. Before Annika could transform the CAS into a larger guild, she and her allies would need to stop the Crimson Company and all who stood with them.

Alyssa closed her eyes for a moment and then told her comrades, “We are getting closer to the auras that are not heading for the courtyard. There are six of them if I am correct. As for the other enemies, they are heading towards Claudius and the Izpuk militia in three groups of five to seven fighters each. Thankfully for us, they are not bothering to try and find each other. They want to reach the courtyard as quickly as they can, possibly to try and aid their allies there. What they don’t know is that they will have no allies left in the courtyard when they arrive.”

Drake, who was flying above the rest of the away team with Linda not far below him, called down, “I see a massive structure not far from the approximate center of the complex. It looks pretty similar to the Rock Temple in terms of its façade.”

Annika smiled and exclaimed, “That may very well be the Ice Temple! Everyone, make a beeline for that temple and we will see who and what we can find there. With any luck, we will catch up to the enemy before they can escape with the Ice Part!”

With Drake and Linda covering them from the air, Annika and Alyssa lead their team through the streets of the ancient settlement. Alyssa’s Aura Sense remained mostly focused on the enemies they were headed towards. However, she also reported that the Izpuk militia had engaged and defeated the first enemy squad to have reached them and was now entering the complex.

As Annika and company closed in on the temple at the center of the complex, Zoey pointed out, “A lot of the area we have been traversing used to be covered by ice and stone. The Crimson Company and their auxiliaries have been clearing a lot of debris away in order to make this old place more accessible.”

Alyssa, as they were almost to the temple, reported, “The militia is now engaging the second squad of enemies to the northeast of here. Hopefully, they can form a perimeter once they see the temple and ideally follow us towards it.”

Linda asked Alyssa, “What about the auras that have not been moving? Are they inside of the temple?”

Alyssa nodded and added, “They have spilt up into two groups of three. One of them seems to be patrolling, while the other is staying put. Hopefully, our superior numbers will let us make short work of them.”

Now, the team had turned onto an alleyway that led into an open plaza. The Ice Temple loomed over the whole plaza proudly. Unlike the Rock Temple, the Ice Temple had clearly once been at the center of some sort of civilization.

Rocco pointed to what looked like the remains of some Cryogonal, Bronzor, Klang and Klinklang. He asked, “Could those have been temple guardian automatons?”

Zoey nodded and replied, “They most likely were. That means that we are getting close!”

Annika added, “I see an opened entrance just past the façade! In we go, team!”

Alyssa announced, “The three patrolling auras I sensed before after coming this way!”

Indeed, a trio of Pokémon were making their way outside just past the façade. There was a female Bisharp leading a male Probopass and a male Weezing. Annika saw the Probopass’s three “mini noses” rejoining the main body. One of the smaller units might have been what alerted the patrol to the adventurers’ presence in the plaza. 

As Annika and her team all stood in the plaza close to the façade, the Bisharp ran out into battle. She was clearly heading for Zoey. The Probopass fired a blast of electricity into Sylvester that looked to temporarily cripple him from the sheer intensity of his injury.

The Weezing spat up a toxic ball of sludge that landed in the middle of the CAS members on the ground. The resulting toxic blast washed over Annika’s ground team, injuring all of them, except for Alyssa, to some extent.

Alyssa grimaced as she saw how badly wounded Sylvester was. She targeted the Probopass and sniped him with an Aura Sphere. The floating nose recoiled back in severe pain as Drake flew right for him.

Zoey locked eyes with the Weezing’s main head and blasted him with an almighty mental assault. Annika took aim at the Weezing, knowing that she did not want of her team members to be poisoned in this fight. She then fired a blast of freezing air into the poisonous Pokémon, knocking him out from the force of her shot.

As Sylvester kept reeling, Rocco charged towards the Probopass with his fangs at the ready. Linda saw the Bisharp about the reach Zoey and fired her own Aura Sphere right into the advancing foe, knocking her back a good bit and stopping her charge.

The Probopass flung a glowing gem right into Drake’s chest, knocking him back in the air and preventing him from getting his planned attack in.

Sylvester was still of no use to the team as Alyssa advanced on the Crimson Company Bisharp and nailed her in the chest with a palm strike. The Lucario was clearly saving her Mega Evolution for use inside of the Ice Temple.

As the Bisharp crumpled, Zoey sniped the hostile Probopass with a ray of psychic energy. Annika ordered Rocco, “Throw me right at that bastard!”

Annika ran right up to Rocco, who followed his orders by picking up his leader in his claws and tossing her dead on right at the enemy Probopass. Annika charged up her claws with black energy right before impact and collided with her foe, slicing into his eyes and sending him flying back into the wall. The impact knocked him clean out.

As Annika landed gracefully on her two feet, grinning as she did so, Alyssa ran over to Sylvester and channeled a healing pulse into the badly-injured Samurott.

Sylvester began to recover as he exclaimed, “That electric blast was excruciatingly painful! I almost fainted from that poisonous attack to boot!”

A relieved-sounding Zoey told her boyfriend, “I’m just glad that you are alright, honey. I focused my attacks on that Weezing mainly because I knew that I would be more effective against him out of all of us.”

As Alyssa healed Sylvester a second time for good measure, the Samurott responded, “I understand, Zoe. Still, I assume that we have no time to waste right now…”

Annika interjected, “Sylvester is right. Aly, what is the status of the nearby auras?”

Alyssa closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, she said, “Claudius’s militia has defeated the second enemy squad that was coming after them. Now, they are pursuing the third and final one. That small unit is heading back in this direction. …Also, I can begin to pick up some new auras heading this way from the north. They could be more enemies, but I am not sure yet.”

Annika nodded to her wife and then ordered, “Into the temple, everyone! We need to confront and defeat the remaining enemies and see what has become of the Ice Part!”

Annika led her team inside, past the façade of the Ice Temple. They were all determined to put a stop to the Crimson Company’s operation in the region. However, the other incoming auras were beginning to present a potential concern. Annika knew that if they represented a significant number of hostile reinforcements, then her team would indeed have to act quickly in order to accomplish their mission and escape the complex with their local allies.

Upon reaching the inside of the temple, the CAS members found a statue that Alyssa identified as being a representation of the Legendary Pokémon Regice. They also saw statues of various mortal Ice Pokémon including Mamoswine, Avalugg, Aurorus and Weavile, Annika’s own species.

Seeing a path forward, Alyssa led the way with Annika and the others right behind her. Drake decided to bring up the rear this time. He knew how vulnerable he would be to any icy attacks that managed to connect with him.

After heading down a few hallways, the CAS Away Team managed to find themselves in a large chamber that housed a massive statue of Regice. There was a pedestal at the center of the chamber with nothing on it. The remains of at least six guardian automatons were strewn about the floor. It was clear to Annika now that the Ice Temple was not as large as the Rock Temple. Her team had been able to reach the central chamber reasonably quickly this time.

About to leave the chamber out of the northern exit were a Froslass, an Ice Darmanitan and a Vannilluxe. The Froslass was carrying a pouch of some kind in addition to her pack.

Alyssa Mega Evolved as the three Crimson Company Pokémon turned to face their CAS enemies. The Froslass floated behind her comrades and said, “So, it is true after all, the famed Creekside Adventurers’ Society is interfering with our plans.”

Annika shot back, as her team advanced on the three Crimson Company soldiers, “I take it that you’re the one in charge here. If you have the Ice Part, this is your one chance to give it to us! I won’t ask again!”

The Froslass shook her head and said, “I will not let Vanessa down. I, Amara, am the one she entrusted with leading the company’s recon division and retrieving the Ice Part. I will ask you all this, though, why are you trying to save the humans from us? They are evolutionary rejects as far as I am concerned. Even as dangerous as Vanessa believes that they will become given time, that is still self-evident to me.”

Rocco simply replied, “You are an elitist bitch!” He charged at Amara with his fangs bared.

Drake began to charge his body with energy as Alyssa and Linda nodded to each other. They each fired an Aura Sphere into the Vannilluxe, sending him reeling back. Zoey finished that foe with a mental blast that affected both heads and sent him tumbling out of the air to the floor.

The entire CAS team was bombarded by icicles sent crashing down by the Ice Darmanitan. Drake looked badly wounded and his energy charge was interrupted by the severe injury that he sustained.

Amara made a series of gestures with her hands and sent Zoey reeling with a blast of ghostly energy. She then looked about to flee down the tunnel with her Ice Darmanitan subordinate trying to cover her.

Sylvester opened up with a wide blast of water that hit both foes. Rocco was able to run around the briefly distracted Ice Darmanitan and chomp down on Amara with his fangs, wounding her and preventing her from fleeing.

Annika charged in after Rocco, as soon as the Drapion let go of Amara with his fangs, she leapt at the Froslass and sliced into her with her dark energy-charged claws.

Amara was sent reeling and was now farther away from the exit she had been trying to flee out of. Her remaining ally was charged by Alyssa, who struck him in the bulb above his head with a palm strike. Linda then charged up a second Aura Sphere and fired it right into that enemy’s face, ending him upon impact.

The heavily-wounded Zoey called out, “She is all alone now! Finish her!”

Amara did her best to recover from the attacks that she had sustained. However, Rocco charged at her one more time and bit down hard into her midsection. As he let go, the Frosslass’s will to fight gave out and she slumped over in pain. She was still alive and conscious, but unable to attack any longer.

Annika began to run over towards Amara as Alyssa called out, “It looks like the militia has caught up to and dispatched the last enemy squad… However, those other auras are closing in really fast. Some of them already seem to be trying to hold the militia off! Some of them are almost inside of the temple! They have to be enemies!”

Annika nodded nervously at her wife as Amara laughed, “We won’t let you abscond with the Ice Part so easily! Our allies have come to aid us and will be here any minute!”

As Annika was about to pick up the pouch that she believed held the Ice Part, Alyssa’s Aura Sensing organs began to wave madly. She stammered, “I missed one aura before. …It is coming up from below us! It is a really strong one… Legendary strong!”

Annika grimaced as the ground below her and her comrades began to shake. She could only think one word, “Zygarde!”


	22. Zygarde

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again readers, I am just giving you a quick status update on the spin-off I mentioned in my author’s note posted on the previous chapter of this story. I have finished over 10 chapters of the spin-off as of now. The total number of chapters for this story will likely be around the upper teens to low twenties. I think that it is becoming more and likely that the spin-off’s rough draft will be finished and therefore the story will likely be posted after this one is finished posting. Thank you all for reading once again.

Annika and her six comrades were all in the central chamber of the Ice Temple. As hostile reinforcements were on their way from the north, Alyssa had just picked up a powerful aura coming up from below the chamber. Annika had a strong feeling that that aura belonged to the Legendary Pokémon Zygarde. They had fought against two of the Aspects of Zygarde back in the Rock Temple. Now it seemed as though the Lord of Order was going to make a personal appearance on the battlefield.

Lying next to the her pouch while barely conscious was the Froslass Amara. She was the Crimson Company officer who had been assigned to obtain the Ice Part for Vanessa. 

Alyssa quickly ran over to Drake and conjured up a pulse of healing energy that knitted up some of his wounds from the earlier icicle barrage. Zoey’s body glowed with radiant sunlight and her injuries began to heal up as well. 

Annika decided to make a run for the pouch that Amara had dropped. However, the ground began to shake rapidly and a bellowing yet dignified male voice could be heard throughout the chamber. The voice called out, “I know that you are in there! I can sense it through the earth, even here. You think that you are a heroine, Annika. However, you are just a deviant and perverted homosexual with delusions of grandeur!”

Annika called back, as Alyssa grimaced angrily with her Mega Evolution having worn off, “Zygarde, show yourself! You clearly want to fight us, now we are here and ready for you!”

As he ran back towards the rest of the group, Rocco called out, “Get back, Annika!”

The booming voice called out, “Vanessa is the heroine who will save this world from human misrule! Her passion and dedication are unmatched! In fact, they are so great that I have given her my personal permission to command the Army of Mew against the human menace!”

Alyssa angrily asked, “Why do you hate the humans?”

The voice replied as the ground began to shake even more rapidly and Amara did her best to get back up, “Vanessa has convinced me that they are a foreign element to the design of Arceus. They do not belong in this world. Once they are removed, just order will be able to be established. You will not stand in between us and the good of all Pokémon!”

Alyssa called out “I sense that a few of the new hostile auras are almost here! Be ready for anything!”

The voice called out, as Amara kept regaining her strength, “You scum will never win! The future will be secured by those who are willing to shove aside petty emotions for the greater good! The land itself should vomit out those like you who stand in the way of a glorious future! Now, face the Land’s Wrath!”

Zygarde finally burst out from the ground, creating a wave of dirt and shards of floor in his wake. The mighty blast seemed targeted to avoid hitting Amara. Drake and Linda were flying too high up to be hit by the attack. However, the rest of the CAS Away Team were all knocked back by the eruption of the Lord of Order from the floor.

Annika, Sylvester and Zoey were all still in fighting shape. However, Alyssa and Rocco both looked badly hurt by the blast.

Zygarde was an impressive serpentine beast. His green and black body shimmered and he had an impressive and alien-looking mane above his reptilian head.

Annika pointed to Zygarde as Amara tried to recover her pouch. The head of the CAS shouted, “Kill that son of a bitch!”

Rocco asked, “Isn’t Zygarde’s parent Arceus?”

Annika replied, “Your point?” She then conjured up a blast of freezing air between her claws and sent it flying at Zygarde. The blast impacted the Lord of Order right in the chest and the Legendary Serpent reeled in pain. His body seemed highly vulnerable to extreme cold, just like his Aspects’ bodies were.

Sylvester fired a wide cone of water which knocked Amara back a bit and injured Zygarde slightly. Zoey sent a barrage of energy stars at Zygarde as Rocco bombarded him with spikes.

Drake flew towards Zygarde. Linda saw that Amara was still trying to recover her pouch despite how close to fainting, or even dying, she was. The Togekiss reacted by firing a blast of fey energy directly into Amara’s head.

The Froslass slumped over completely this time. As she passed on, she said, “Vanessa, I’m sorry. You and Lord Zygarde will have to finish the mission…”

Alyssa called out, “We have incoming enemies from the north!” She ran to the northern entrance of the chamber as a pair of Gabite and a Bastiodon emerged. All three of them were wearing sashes that matched the light green and black of Zygarde’s body.

The Bastiodon charged at Alyssa, tossing summoned boulders at her as he advanced. The two Gabite ran around Alyssa to their Lord’s side.

Zygarde saw Drake coming right for him and unleashed a mighty blast of draconic energy from his mouth. The attack collided with Drake and the Noivern was knocked back a good distance.

Alyssa charged up an Aura Sphere and sent it into the enemy Bastiodon, dropping him in one shot. As the foe slumped to the floor, she shouted, “Annika, what’s our plan? I sense more of Zygarde’s troops engaging the militia not far from here. I don’t think that we can hold this place!”

Annika replied, “I think that Amara’s pouch has the Ice Part! We need to grab it and haul ass out of here as fast as we can!”

Alyssa nodded, obviously wounded from earlier enemy attacks, as Annika targeted one of the Gabite and managed to freeze and shatter him in one blast of frozen air.

Linda blasted Zygarde with fey wind as Rocco, Sylvester and Zoey pumped attacks into the Legendary Lord. The mighty serpent was looking injured. However, he still had plenty of fight left in him.

The remaining Gabite told Zygarde, “We have more soldiers on the way, your Lordship! What are your orders?”

Zygarde responded, “Secure the pouch, I believe that it has the Ice Part! As long as we obtain it, we shall win the day!” Zygarde then advanced on Annika’s team and brought down his fangs on Zoey hard. The Espeon looked badly injured as Zygarde protected the Gabite soldier with his bulky body.

With Zygarde looming over the CAS members, the Gabite soldier grabbed the pouch and held it tightly. A Garchomp soldier entered through the northern entryway and Mega Evolved upon seeing his Lord engaging the CAS members.

Alyssa called out, “The militia is starting to fall back to preserve their numbers! Claudius and Claudia are both alright for now. Annika, we will be overwhelmed soon at this rate!”

Annika heard the Gabite’s voice calling out, “The part is in the pouch, Lord Zygarde!”

Zygarde ordered his Gabite soldier, “Excellent! Now, fall back and make sure that the part is secure!”

The Mega Garchomp rushed forward towards Annika’s team to cover his comrade. Annika reactively blasted the incoming hostile with her freezing attack. However, this enemy was only slowed down and still kept coming.

Drake recovered and rushed at the enemy Garchomp, evading a draconic blast from Zygarde’s mouth this time. The enemy Gabite fled in the chaos of battle, shouting, “I will link up with our reinforcements, my Lord!” He made it out the northern doorway while taking and surviving a few spikes from Rocco and a glancing water shot from Sylvester.

Annika screamed in anger and ordered, “We have to retreat now! Everyone fall back and regroup with the militia!”

Alyssa struck the incoming Garchomp with a palm strike that froze his body temporarily. This gave everyone else cover to begin falling back. Drake detonated a pulse of draconic energy that wounded Zygarde and then made a quick U-turn to follow his comrades away.

Linda sniped Zygarde with a blast of fey wind and then flew away. The rest of the away team made a full retreat away from Zygarde and his paralyzed Garchomp soldier.

The serpentine Lord was severely injured, but more of his soldiers were close by now and they had secured the Ice Part. The mighty snake called out, “If you all continue to stand in the way of Vanessa and I, you will pay dearly for all of the lives that you have taken! I will not allow you to escape if we meet again!”

As her team rushed out of the Ice Temple, Annika snarled, “He is certainly a hammy one, now isn’t he.”

Alyssa sighed and added, “His reinforcements got lucky and arrived just when the Crimson Company needed them to. We have wiped out a good portion of Vanessa’s forces today. However, they have gotten closer to their overall goal thanks to Zygarde’s intervention.”

Annika angrily added, “We made a serious dent in him, but I knew that his backup could overwhelm even us if we chased after the Ice Part. Also, if anyone here calls him ‘Lord Zygarde’ again, they are in real trouble.”

Drake sighed and admitted, “It’s now clear to me that Vanessa has converted him fully to her cause.” The Noivern then snarked, “That big snake also seemed both noxiously bigoted and unimpressed by our society’s resume.”

Zoey healed herself with another wave of sunlight and admitted, “I hate that he called us of all people scum. Still, his intervention means that only the Steel Part is left to be claimed. We better head for the desert valley to the southwest reputed to be the location of the Steel Temple soon. That will be our last chance to obtain one of the key parts.”

Sylvester added, as they reached the outside of the Ice Temple and kept going, “We still do not know for sure if the Crimson Company knows the exact location of the ancient vault. If they do, then we could be in even bigger trouble than we already are.”

Annika sighed as the away team made for the Courtyard where Alyssa said the militia would be trying to regroup. They needed to regroup with their allies and then prepare to make for the likely location of the Steel Temple. They all knew that Vanessa’s genocidal plan would only be able to proceed effectively if she obtained all three key parts.

Soon, Annika and company reached the courtyard and caught up with the tail end of the militia force. They explained everything to Claudius and Claudia. Alyssa was able to sense that Zygarde and his forces were already retreating north with the Ice Part now in their custody. The battle for the ruins had almost been a victory for the CAS and for the Izpuk Militia. However, they had been thwarted by the arrival of Zygarde and the soldiers that he had brought from his Dominion. It was now clear that the Lord of Order was a strong ally of the Crimson Company. If Vanessa’s murderous scheme was to be stopped, than it was likely that Zygarde would also have to be dealt with.

The procession of militia and CAS Pokémon made their way back to Izpuk. On the way back, they managed to link up with Tana and her human archer squad. While the assault force had taken minimal losses, they had failed in their main objective, the securing of the Ice Part.

As the assault force returned to Izpuk, Annika knew that her team was running out of chances to stop Vanessa and her allies. Drake had mentioned that they should write some new letters home to Creekside Town upon returning to Izpuk. From there, the CAS Away Team would likely need to set off down the mountains, making for the valley where Zoey claimed the Steel Temple was likely to be nestled.

Annika wished that her team could have a longer rest. However, they had not earned it. Too many lives were still on the line for the CAS to waste any time. Whether or not Zoey wanted to spend any more time with her family, the team would need to leave Izpuk as soon as the next day. The leader of the CAS hated to admit it, but she was starting to wonder if her team could stop Vanessa and Zygarde’s plan at this stage.


	23. Departure from Izpuk

When the assault force returned to Izpuk in the late afternoon, they regretfully informed Mayor Carmela, the local populace and their human guests of what had transpired during the day’s battle. They had managed to essentially wipe out the Crimson Company’s fighters in the area. However, the arrival of Zygarde and his reinforcements had botched the whole operation. Both forces had ended up retreating from the ruins. However, it was Zygarde’s forces that had been able to complete their mission, not the CAS and their allies.

Upon hearing the news of the failure to secure the Ice Part, Mayor Carmela of Izpuk decided that her settlement would work to increase the frequency of their patrols. They would also focus on beefing up their defenses in order to deal with a possible Crimson Company offensive made against them in the future. Thankfully, none of their militia fighters had died in the battle. A few of them had been knocked unconscious and had had to be carried out of the ruins by their comrades, however. The strategy of engaging the Crimson Company forces in the ruins piece by piece had proven to be quite effective.

Annika had thanked Mayor Carmela and her citizens, along with their human auxiliaries, for all of their help. She tried to console them all by pointing out that at least they had wounded and killed a considerable number of Crimson Company fighters and their auxiliaries from the Dominion of Zygarde. She also informed the Mayor of Izpuk and her citizens that the CAS Away Team would appreciate being given new maps and supplies as they would be headed to the southeast the next morning. They would buy what they could fairly. However, they wanted to conserve their money if at all possible, seeing as though they had not had the chance to loot any enemies at the ruins.

Lydia had been initially happy to see the assault force returning without any permanent casualties. However, when she learned that the mission’s most critical objective had failed, she was clearly concerned. The young Snivy told Annika that she would resume her intern duties now that everyone was back in town. Lydia still seemed interested in learning how to fight for herself one day. She hoped to learn more within that field by continuing to watch the combat veterans of the CAS in action.

Thankfully, the citizens of Izpuk and their human guests were willing to give Annika and company some new maps and significant amounts of fresh supplies free of charge. They knew how important the team’s mission was. The away team was going to head southwest out of the mountains towards the valley where the Steel Temple was said to be after departing Izpuk the next morning. There, they intended to do their absolute best to obtain the Steel Part and then return to Creekside Town to try and defend it there.

That evening, the CAS away team had stayed at Zoey’s childhood home again. This would be their final night in Izpuk as they intended to be on their way right after breakfast the next morning. Zoey and Sylvester had decided to spend some time with Zoey’s family after dinner. Drake had decided to take Linda, Rocco and Lydia to have one last look around the mountain town before they left the next morning. Annika and Alyssa were standing on a small lot together right behind the house where they had been staying. They were looking up at the night sky together. The sky was clearer in Izpuk than it had been in any of the other settlement that the two of them had ever been to.

As Annika looked up at the stars, Alyssa asked her, “There’s a lot on your mind right now, isn’t there?”

Annika nodded and replied, “I should know that I could never keep anything from you, Aly. Yeah, I’m pretty worried about the future right now.”

Alyssa told her wife, “Even despite setbacks, we have always won out in the end, Annika. We have allies and admirers all around this world. People believe in us and I think that they will come through for us in the end.”

Annika sighed and smiled up at her beloved, she asked, “How did I find someone as amazing as you, Aly? I remember when you first walked into the CAS base’s door and I was smitten with you at first sight. You know that I would do anything for you, right?”

Alyssa smiled down at Annika and took her hand. She then replied, “I would do anything for you as well, darling. I remember the day we first met, it was well before I finally learned the truth about the AML. I also remember when you first gave me the pet name, ‘Aly.’ It was soon after Lawrence joined the CAS, I believe. I was taken slightly aback at first, but I got used to it soon enough. …Honestly, I wish that I had come up with a good pet name for you, Annika.”

Annika blushed a bit and asked her wife, “Did you have any ideas in particular?”

Alyssa blushed as well and then replied, “I thought about ‘Ani.’ However, that sounded like a male’s nickname for some reason. As much as I think that your name is unique and cool in its own way, I could never think of a good nickname based on it.”

Annika told her wife, “Don’t worry about it in that case. I feel happy enough just knowing that you tried to come up with a pet name for me. Honestly, I still wish that I knew who gave me my own name. Was it the parents that I never knew? Was it somebody at the orphanage? You got to name yourself and you chose a beautiful name. It was not hard for me to come up with a cute abbreviation for it.”

Alyssa nodded understandingly. She then leaned in and shared a long and loving kiss with Annika. Her snout being scrunched up during the kiss, as it always was.

After Annika and Alyssa’s lips parted, Annika said, “We may have to call on every ally we have in order to stop the CC and Zygarde for good. Still, for now we need to focus on obtaining the Steel Part before our enemies can.”

Alyssa simply nodded and then the two of them gazed up at the stars together for what felt like an hour. After that, they headed back inside to make sure that the rest of their away team was all back at the house. They would need to rest the night as best as they could and then head out right after breakfast the next morning.

Early the next morning, Tana, Claudius and Claudia made breakfast for the whole away team. After everyone ate, Zoey said goodbye to her family and promised them that she would do her best to help the CAS achieve victory. It was clear how genuinely proud of Zoey her family was. It seemed as though the old rifts between them had finally been healed. Zoey was embraced by her father and then nuzzled her mother and little sister.

Mayor Carmela, her young assistant Donna and a number of other denizens of Izpuk Town helped to send the CAS Away Team off. Drake had left a few letters in Izpuk that were to be sent to Creekside as soon as possible. Some of the letters were personal. However, the main one was another status update letter written by Drake. That letter was meant for the CAS Home Team and the government of Creekside Town.

The CAS Away Team set off down the road heading southwest from Izpuk, This was a road that they had not yet traversed. However, they had been told that the road would take them to the valley they were trying to reach within a week. It would probably be around six days of traveling at least. They knew that the real location of the Steel Temple could be somewhere else. However, they also knew that the last rumored temple location that they had checked had turned out to be the right place to look.

It was afternoon as the away team continued their march down the road and down the mountainside. Lydia seemed to prefer going down to going up despite the potentially treacherous nature of a few sections of the sloped road. Things were in many ways quite the same for Linda and Drake, however.

As she was walking near the head of the small procession, Annika was deep in thought. An old memory had wormed its way back into the forefront of her mind.

Suddenly, Annika heard Alyssa’s voice asking her, “It seems like something is on your mind, honey. Even more so than usual lately.”

Annika nodded as she admitted aloud to the whole away team, “I just had a memory of Vanessa from when we were younger come back to me. This was from years before I was revealed to be gay and long before we came to this world separately. We were both on the orphanage playground and Vanessa looked upset. I walked over and asked her what was wrong. She told me that some of the other kids had been talking about how lame they thought some Pokémon like Caterpie and Wurmple were.”

Zoey asked, “Did she like those species? Or, did she just think that the other kids were being mean?”

Annika continued, “I asked Vanessa why she thought that those kids’ words were harmful. I posited to Vanessa that she thought that every Pokémon species was somebody’s favorite and that that was why she was mad at the other kids. However, she shook her head no and told me that that was not her reason for being mad at the other kids.”

Alyssa asked, “So, what was her reason for being upset then?”

Annika continued again, “Vanessa told me that she was upset at the other kids for degrading certain species of Pokémon because she believed that those Pokémon were conscious living creatures. She said that they had their own dignity no matter what they looked like and how powerful they were. She pointed out how even those Pokémon could do things that we as humans could not do. I stood there and listened to Vanessa like a good friend should. However, I did not fully understand what she meant at the time. After that, I just told her that we should head inside and get some juice and cookies. She looked slightly annoyed at first. However, she then nodded and followed me inside without another word. I always thought that she was just happy that someone had been willing to listen to her.”

Everyone was silent for a few moments. Annika was not surprised that Rocco broke the silence. He simply said, “So, maybe she could have become a good person? If things had gone a bit differently, maybe you and her could have become friends again in this world, Annika?”

Annika sighed and admitted, “Like I may have said before, she did not actively harass me like most of the others did after I was revealed to be gay. I honestly wonder if she really cared about what the religious order in charge of the orphanage tried to teach us all about homosexuality.”

Lydia told Annika, “This really has to be hard on you, ma’am. You all are the closest things I have had to friends and I would hate it if any one of you turned out to be evil.”

Zoey sighed deeply and then admitted, “I really do wish that things had gone differently for Vanessa. Had she come to find you earlier, maybe you and the CAS could have talked her out of her insane plan? With all of that said, we all know what she is responsible for now. She would need to be brought to some form of justice, even if she did not plan to continue her war on humanity.”

Sylvester added, “We know that Vanessa was possibly driven to her current beliefs through fighting evil humans. Maybe if Palkia really sent her here for that purpose, it was a mistake of hers in the end? If even Arceus has things to answer for, than Palkia would likely also have things to answer for as well.”

Annika replied, “Palkia did mention a mistake that she would never forgive herself for right after the Battle of Mount Galtia. However, I doubt that that had anything to do with Vanessa. If Palkia was aware of Vanessa’s evil plan, then I feel like she would come and stop it herself. However, I would bet any of you almost any amount of money that she is currently still on her hunt for Arceus. With no deities coming to save us, we have to do what we can to stop Vanessa ourselves.”

Everyone nodded as Alyssa wondered aloud, “I do wonder what Lady Zacian and Lord Zamazenta would think of Vanessa and the Crimson Company? They helped us against the CTO because they were loyal to Arceus and the current order of the world. Would they step in to prevent an act of genocide?”

Annika replied, “Maybe, but I would not bet on that for now. We have other allies that I would consider to be more likely to answer any call to action that we sent out. Pokémon towns across the Grand Island, the Shawlians and the SAL, Saladin, Anetisia, Izpuk and even Captain Jacopo and his crew are more likely to respond to a request for aid than Legendary Pokémon.”

Rocco pointed out, “Lady Suicune did show up to help stop the AML and the CTO. She is also the patron of Creekside Town. I would not count her out of the fight so easily.”

Drake added, “There is another Legendary Pokémon who could possibly prove helpful. Articuno probably still has not forgiven Marcy. However, she trusts Alyssa and might be able to be convinced to lend her strength to our cause.”

Alyssa smiled and nodded. She then added, “Lady Articuno has two siblings, Lord Zapdos and Lady Moltres. They are all the children of the mighty Lady Lugia. The three of them combined could be a nigh-unstoppable force, like Lady Suicune along with her brothers Lords Entei and Raikou.”

Annika sighed as the team continued their trek down the mountainside road. She knew that they were not likely to see civilization for quite some time. The next town they were likely to visit was on the other side of the valley they were trying to reach, close to the Larokian coastline. She then finished, “For now, our objective is to prevent our enemies from obtaining the Steel Part. Let’s just hope that we reach the Steel Temple first. This will be out last chance to obtain a key part before they do.”

Everyone nodded as the CAS Away Team continued their journey to the southwest. They all knew just how important their current task was.


	24. The Hole in the Earth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have some good news this update! The first, and possibly only, spin-off for this series is now finished as a rough draft! I have also been working on editing it to make sure that it is ready to post right after this story is fully posted. The spin-off will be titled Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: In the Wake of Eternity. It will be just over twenty chapters long and will take place between the main ending of this story and the final section of this story’s epilogue. The spin-off will be listed as the fourth installment in the PMD: Dawn of Civilization series. At least that is my plan right now. Thank you all for reading so far again as well.

Annika and company spent the next six days following their leaving the mountain town of Izpuk trekking southwest. They headed down the existing roads towards the valley where the Steel Temple was said to be nestled. Zoey had explained that the valley they were headed towards was really more of a mammoth pit in the ground with a winding path circling the outer edge of the hole. The ruins at the bottom of the hole were where the Steel Temple was believed to sit according to Zoey.

The away team really did have no idea who they would face if they reached the temple. They could have to fight through the Crimson Company’s Pokémon, or the Dominion of Zygarde’s troops. If they got lucky and their enemies had not reached the Steel Temple yet, they would still most likely need to fight some automaton Pokémon guardians in the temple proper. Annika was at least confident that her team could defeat some guardian Pokémon. The Crimson Company had been able to defeat the guardian automatons at the two other temples. Why couldn’t Annika’s team of veteran fighters do the same thing?

During their multi-day trek southwest, Annika and company had not encountered that many other travelers. They were headed to one of the most barren parts of Larokia. Once they left the mountains, they soon found themselves in a barren wasteland with not many plants, or wild Pokémon around. Thankfully, numbers alone kept the team mostly safe from what few wild Pokémon roamed the region. Annika made sure to direct her team to gather what food and supplies they could from the environment. They knew that there was a small riverside port town at the southern edge of the wastes. It was only around a day’s journey from the southern edge of the “valley.” However, Annika and her team knew that they could not attempt to reach the town until they had at least checked out the bottom of the hole in the ground for the Steel Temple.

It was early morning and the ground along the road was sandy and barren. The road itself was hard to make out in places. There was not much wind and a few spiky boulders were some of the few things the away team members could make out rising above the dusty flatlands. There was a long and tall ridge that rose above the wastelands a good distance to the north. However, it was what was just up ahead that interested Annika and her team the most. Not far up ahead was the massive hole in the ground with the pathway spiraling along its sides, according to Drake and Linda. The road seemed to branch into two paths. One path went south, likely towards the nearest town. The other path led right up to the lip of the giant bowl within the earth itself.

Annika and her team walked and flew right up to the lip of the “bowl.” They saw the massive depression in the earth that seemed to go down a few hundred feet at least. It was hard to see all the way down to the bottom. However, there was clearly a bottom of this pit. Around the edge of the pit was a path that circled around the entirety of the depression as it went lower. It seemed to circle the “bowl” a reasonable number of times before reaching the very bottom of the pit.

Annika thought for a moment, she then ordered, “Drake, Linda, I want the two of you to fly down to the bottom of this pit and see what you can find. Then, come right back up to us, understood?”

Before Drake and Linda could carry out their leader’s orders, Alyssa mentioned, “I am picking up the auras of just a few Pokémon in the air and on the ground in the vicinity. However, I sense some … auras of a different kind at the bottom of the pit. We may be in luck. Those could be the guardians of the Steel Temple if the Crimson Company has failed to beat us here. Still, with Zygarde and his army on Vanessa’s side, I would not waste any time in getting down there and securing the Steel Part.”

Annika motioned to Drake and Linda who took off into the pit at full speed, it took a few minutes for them to return. However, when they did, Drake said, “It looks like the Steel Temple is down there. Carved into the side of the pit at the bottom are a series of columns akin to the ones at the two other temples. We also saw some Baltoy and Claydol patrolling the area, as they have likely done for centuries. There are likely more guardians inside of the temple.”

Annika nodded and smiled. She ordered, “Come on, everybody, it looks like we have an opportunity to secure one of the key parts before Vanessa and her supporters can. We will head down the winding path and then delve into the Steel Temple. We cannot afford to waste any more time.”

The team descended into the pit down the winding pathway. As they did so, Alyssa admitted, “It is possible that there are enemy air scouts in the area. I did see some airborne Pokémon flying a good distance from us, some of them out of the range of my Aura Sense. Of course, that possibility just gives us more reason to try and obtain the Steel Part and get out of here fast.”

Annika nodded as her team began to make its way around the winding path that would take them deep into the pit. At the bottom, they would need to defeat the guardians of the Steel Temple and secure the Steel Part before the Crimson Company, or their allies, could arrive.

As the CAS Away Team made their deeper into the pit, Annika could start to get a better idea of what lay below them. There was indeed a series of towering columns composed of some sort of ore at one side of the pit. That had to be the Steel Temple’s entrance. There would most likely be statues of Registeel and other steel Pokémon within the temple. Annika and company were hoping to find a central chamber where they would hopefully find a huge statue of Registeel and the Steel Part. Once they had the Steel Part in their possession, the away team would need to reach the surface quickly and begin their trip back to Creekside Town. They would have to try and keep the part safe at home while they came up with a way to defeat Vanessa and Zygarde for good.

The away team members were continuing their walk down the winding pathway when Alyssa’s aura sensing organs began to wave wildly. Linda looked up and called out, “Guys! We have incoming… a lot of them!”

Annika looked up and her jaw briefly dropped. She saw a male Honchkrow at the head of a formation of between twenty and thirty airborne Pokémon diving into the pit. The flyers were all wearing some article of clothing or another indicating allegiance to either the Crimson Company or the Dominion of Zygarde.

Drake shouted out, “Our situation just got more complicated! Annika, your orders?”

As the enemy flyers continued their dive toward Annika’s team, she called out, “Drake, Linda, engage them in the air and keep them off of us! Lydia, try to avoid drawing their attention! Everyone else, aim your ranged attacks up and try to hit as many of them as you can!”

Alyssa said, “I’ll save my Mega Evolution for later. This may be a long fight!” She then charged up an Aura Sphere and fired it into the air at the Honchkrow, who withstood the rapid attack.

The Honchkrow’s allies began to fire off a few long range attacks to varying effect as he called out, “This is Flight Leader Vito of the Crimson Company! I will give you just one chance to surrender in the name of Company Head Vanessa and His Lordship Zygarde! Failure to do so will leave me no choice but to engage you in battle!”

Annika called up, “Not a chance! We know what Vanessa and Zygarde are trying to do and will not stand for it!”

Drake and Linda bravely flew up towards the enemy air units. It seemed like there could be even more hostile flyers on their way to bolster the initial force. Drake began to charge his whole body with energy. Sylvester fired up a blast of water that downed an enemy Pidove in one shot. Zoey began to launch up her starry projectiles. She was most likely choosing to use them on account of their homing in one foes without needing to be aimed accurately. Rocco began to launch volley after volley of spikes into the air, trying to hit as many enemies as possible.

Annika wished that the whole CAS, especially Lawrence, was present at the moment. She then launched a blast of frozen wind into the air. The shot struck a Rookidee enemy and shot her out of the sky. She went tumbling down and landed at the bottom of the pit. She was almost certainly dead from the impact.

Vito continued his dive as Lydia flattened herself against the nearby side of the pit and breathed heavily. Lydia probably knew that she would not be very effective against these sorts of opponents even if she were a skilled fighter.

Zoey tried to get out of the way as Vito dived down with two Murkrow flanking him. Zoey withstood a dark-energy charged slash from Vito’s talons and evaded attacks from his two Murkrow followers. The three enemies then took off back into air.

Linda downed one of Vito’s Murkrow wingmons with a fey wind blast. Drake, meanwhile, flew head on towards the center of the diving enemy formation, dodging and taking multiple attacks on the way. He then fired off his energy razors. The razors sliced into at least fifteen foes and dropped eight of them from the sky. Vito and his remaining wingmon were out of the radius of the attack.

Annika blasted an injured enemy Corvisquire out of the sky with one of her icy shots. Alyssa saw an enemy Aerodactyl coming for Annika and launched an Aura Sphere into her. The flying reptilian was finished by a wide blast of water that Sylvester fired off. Zoey fired off a barrage of star-shaped homing shots into Vito’s wingmon, badly wounding her.

As Rocco kept up his spike barrage, downing a wounded enemy Starly with a volley, Annika knew that the outcome of the fight was still in doubt. Drake was keeping a lot of the airborne enemies occupied now. However, he could only hold out for so long before fainting, or worse. Everyone else except for Lydia was taking attacks and doing their best to take out some of the agile flying enemies. However, there were still around fifteen foes in the air, including Vito.

Alyssa charged up an Aura Sphere and fired it at Vito. However, the female Murkrow wingmon that had been following him managed to get in the way of the homing sphere of blue light at the last second before it would have impacted the Flight Leader. She was practically consumed by the shot. Vito angrily called out, “Selene!” After having seen his wingmon slain by Alyssa. He then began to dive down toward the Lucario.

Sylvester called out, as Drake charged up a second series of energy razors while heroically dodging enemy attacks, “I see a Talonflame and two Fletchinder following Vito down this time!”

Annika called out, “Take the main enemy formation down!”

Vito ordered, “Target the enemy Lucario and bring her down! I know what we need to do here!”

Zoey and Rocco fired up attacks at the two Fletchinder. Rocco’s spikes did not do much to them and Zoey’s stars somewhat wounded one foe. The Talonflame evaded a water shot from Sylvester narrowly and now overtook Vito and flew in front of him. The Honchkrow seemed quite ok with this and slowed his descent somewhat to allow his subordinate to get ahead of him more easily.

Alyssa took some flaming pulses from the beaks of the two Fletchinder, one from each of them. Annika tried to run over to help her wife. However, she saw two enemy Staravia diving right towards her.

The enemy Talonflame was now diving at full speed, his body cloaked in raging flames. Sylvester managed to hit him with a water shot. However, he just kept coming in towards the wounded Alyssa.

Alyssa tried to get her Mega Stone out of her pack. However, the Talonflame enemy managed to collided with her stomach at full speed with Vito right behind him.

As Annika blasted one Staravia out of the sky with an icy shot, she saw Alyssa falling to her knees as the enemy Talonflame pulled away. He looked injured by the force of his own charging attack. As Annika was madly buffeted by the surviving enemy Staravia’s wings, she saw Vito reach Alyssa and deliver a wing blow to the back of her head.

Alyssa slumped over, but was still breathing lightly. With the two enemy Fletchinder covering him, Vito tore Alyssa’s pack off of her back and grabbed her upper arms in his two talons. He then lifted her up into the sky.

Sylvester took down the two enemy Fletchinder with a wide blast of water. Rocco ran over and spat a gout of poison right into the Staravia that had been attacking Annika. That allowed the Weavile to finish that foe off with a rapid barrage of claw strikes.

Now, Vito was flying off with the unconscious Alyssa in his talons. Drake fired off his energy razors, and downed six more enemies. However, he then made for the ground, looking very weak from taking heavy enemy fire.

Linda called out, “The enemy is starting to retreat! There are only around ten of them now at most.”

Annika was speechless as she saw her wife being taken away by the enemy Honchkrow commander.

Linda saw the enemy Talonflame now making a dive for Annika, possibly to cover his allies retreat up into the sky. Linda launched herself higher into the air and then took aim at the enemy advancing towards her leader.

As Zoey and Rocco tried to take potshots at the retreating enemy flyers with spikes and psychic energy rays, Drake called out, “Don’t shoot the leader down! If he drops Alyssa, the fall could easily kill her in her condition!”

Drake landed, badly wounded, as Sylvester stood in front of Annika and whipped a blast of water from his tail at the hostile Talonflame. The enemy began to give out and pulled back up into the sky before he could attack Annika.

Linda angrily launched herself down at the enemy Talonflame and impacted him at full speed. The impact of her physical strike knocked the enemy fire bird out and he fell to his death at the bottom of the pit.

Annika did her best to regain some semblance of her composure. As she shook her head rapidly, she stammered, “Alyssa… they took her.”

Zoey walked over to Annika and told her, “Boss, regardless of why they took Alyssa alive, we need to keep moving. We still have a chance to secure the Steel Part. Then, we can try to find and rescue her. Obtaining the part from the Steel Temple is what she would want us to do. We cannot afford to have our enemies sneak around us and reach the temple while we are trying to find where their nearest camp is and rescue your wife.”

Annika took what could have been a minute, or could have been ten minutes to reply. However, she knew that Zoey was entirely right. Alyssa would want her and the others to retrieve the Steel Part. Too many lives were on the line right now for any other course of action to be taken. Annika took a very deep breath and told Zoey and everyone else, including Lydia, “We better get moving. We will reach the Steel Temple today and secure the Steel Part before night falls. Then, we will see if we can find the enemy camp and free Aly! You all know that I would do anything for her. I won’t let her stay in the enemy’s clutches for any longer than I have to.”

Annika’s six team members all nodded and then, they made their way deeper into the pit. Rocco picked up Alyssa’s pack and her Mega Stone and carried it along with his own. The CAS Away Team members hoped to reach the bottom of the pit soon and secure the Steel Part before more enemies could arrive.


	25. The Ridgetop Camp

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More good news this update. The recently-finished spin-off story, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: In the Wake of Eternity, that I have been mentioning recently has now received a complete once-over to get it edited. That means that, unless something unexpected gets in the way, it should begin posting within a week or less of this story being fully posted. I will post new chapters for it every Monday and Friday until it is finished posting. I would hope that anyone who has read this series this far checks out that story as well.

\---

The life of the formerly-human Blaziken Vanessa had certainly been interesting lately. Ever since her narrow escape with the Rock Part, she had been focused on regrouping with her forces and making her way to Larokia. Vanessa had sent out couriers to her various units and her backer Lord Zygarde to inform them of the interference of the Creekside Adventurers’ Society. The good news was that despite the reported continued interference of the CAS, the Ice Part had been secured by Lord Zygarde and his expeditionary force. The bad news was that Annika and her allies had been consistently dealing significant damage to the Crimson Company and their auxiliaries.

Vanessa had recently learned of the loss of her Froslass Lieutenant Amara, the first civilized Pokémon she had ever met upon becoming a Torchic. Amara had only been a Snorunt then. Also, there was the fact that most of the aquatic diver soldiers of the Crimson Company had been slain earlier trying to stop the CAS from reaching Larokia. The head of that unit, Tacitus, had only narrowly escaped the battle. With one of her main sub-commanders dead and much of the company gone along with her, Vanessa felt as though she would need to obtain control of the Army of Mew even more than ever if she wanted to see her plan for the world she had come to call home reach fruition.

Believing that the CAS was likely going to go after the Steel Part within the Steel Temple, Vanessa had ordered the construction of a camp atop of a ridge overlooking the pit that the temple sat at the bottom of from the north. Via airborne messengers, she had told her Flight Leader Vito to send out air scouts to patrol the broader vicinity. If the CAS was spotted heading for the pit, he was to marshal as many flyers as he could and attack them. At the time that that order had been issued, Vanessa was on her way to the ridgetop camp. Vanessa’s orders had also told Vito that if his air units could not outright defeat the CAS team, that they were to try and take at least one of the enemy prisoner. Annika was the preferred target. However, her Lucario wife Alyssa was the acceptable second priority for abduction. Without Alyssa, the CAS would not have access to a member with Aura Sense. Also, some, but not all, of the Steel Temple’s guardians would probably be vulnerable to her attacks. Anyone else on the enemy elite team had been marked as a lower priority to be taken prisoner.

Vanessa had certainly also been thinking about Annika a lot more often lately. Now that the formerly-human leader of the CAS stood in the way of the future she wanted to bring about, the adventuress had been on Vanessa’s mind frequently. Vanessa had begun to remember some of the time that she had spent with Annika when the two of them had both been human girls. There was something that Vanessa had wanted to tell Annika. It was something she had wanted to say to her for quite some time. It was something important and somewhat private. However, Vanessa was not sure when the right time to say it would be, if it even ever came to pass.

Now, as Vanessa and a few other Crimson Company reinforcements trekked into the ridgetop camp, they saw around nine flying Pokémon landing around the camp. Vanessa had already been informed about the result of the air strike on the CAS team. Her soldiers and their auxiliaries had taken some severe losses. However, Flight Leader Vito had managed to ensure that they did not retreat empty taloned. The attack had not been a total failure, as Vito had reportedly managed to capture Alyssa. The situation was not ideal, but Vanessa believed that things were falling into place for her to secure the final one of the three parts of the Master Key. For now, Lord Zygarde and his forces were holding on to the other two key parts for Vanessa. She and Vito would have to obtain the Steel Part with what forces they had. Thankfully for Vanessa, her forces at the ridgetop camp still outnumbered the enemy team at least two to one with or without Alyssa on their side.

Vanessa put down her pack in what was to be her command tent. She had withdrawn one item from the pack beforehand that she took with her. She did not plan for this camp to be in place for very long if things went smoothly. As soon as the Steel Part was in her possession, her forces would be on the move again to commence the next phase of the plan. The just extermination of humanity was getting closer and closer. This world’s Pokémon and their descendants would have Vanessa and those who had aided her to thank for their bright and free future.

As Vanessa headed over towards the center of the camp, she saw the Honchkrow Vito, one of her most trusted officers, making a landing. Vanessa smiled when she saw the Lucario being carried in his talons. The report had been correct. This was Alyssa, the Lucario from before and more importantly Annika’s wife. Vanessa would have to talk with this prisoner. Her company had not taken many captives. They had certainly taken no humans alive. However, this case was an important exception.

Vito put Alyssa down and then flew back a bit before landing. He looked over to Vanessa and saluted her with one of his wings. The Honchkrow told his commander, “We lost a lot of our attack squad to the enemy. However, I carried out your orders and captured the enemy leader’s spouse. As far as I know, the rest of their team is likely making for the Steel Temple now. We were not chased when we made our retreat.”

Vanessa saluted Vito back and replied, “I will assume that you did your best as always, Flight Leader. …Looking over who returned, I take it that Selene did not make it back.”

Vito shook his head and then asked Vanessa, “If you do not mind me asking, what are we to do with our new prisoner? She is still unconscious as far as I know. She took Selene down and wounded me pretty badly. That was why I decided that we needed to take her out of the fight. Soon after that, I seized my opportunity to capture her as per your orders.”

Vanessa told Vito, “As you are probably aware, Alyssa here will be a valuable captive. She may very well be our key to obtaining the Steel Part, now that we have her in our custody. You should get some rest as we will be moving out again soon, Flight Leader. I will be taking the prisoner to my command tent as soon as she can walk. I can see her starting to stir a bit even now.”

Vito nodded and saluted Vanessa again. He then took off to return to his tent for a bit. The Honchkrow was a loyal soldier and one of Vanessa’s first officers. He had carried out his orders, even though he probably would have rather killed Alyssa after what she did to one of his most trusted subordinates.

As Alyssa began to breath more deeply and seemed to be returning to consciousness. Vanessa walked over to the defeated Lucario. The item that Vanessa had been holding since she left her command tent was a pair of hard metal bracelets connected by a central piece that held a reddish crystal. That was an item that Vanessa had obtained for just a situation like this. She was not sure when she would need the cuffs again.

Alyssa began to cough a bit as some of her wounds were slightly healing up on their own. She opened her eyes and breathed heavily as Vanessa quickly approached her from behind. A few Crimson Company soldiers gathered around Alyssa. They were staying just a bit back, but were ready to attack if the Lucario made any sudden movements.

Vanessa grabbed one of Alyssa’s arms and held it behind her back. She then locked the first cuff onto her prisoner’s wrist and told her, “Do not try to resist, Alyssa. You are only alive right now because I wanted you alive.”

Alyssa’s eyes fluttered open and stayed open as Vanessa grabbed her other arm and locked the second cuff. Alyssa’s hands were now cuffed behind her back. The prisoner was now secured.

Now kneeling, Alyssa groaned a slight bit and stammered, “Draining cuffs?”

Vanessa nodded and stepped around the bound Alyssa. She stood in front of the Lucario and replied, her arms folded, “Yes, I managed to obtain a pair not long ago. They are quite rare now. However, as you well know, they come in handy for keeping dangerous prisoners under control. I think that someone like you falls into that category.”

Alyssa looked up at her captor with clear disgust on her face. She growled a bit instinctively and snarled, “Hello, Vanessa.”

Vanessa replied, “You are quite defiant, I would expect no less from you. Now, you are going to come with me. I think that we should have a chat in my tent while my scouts keep patrolling the area. Like I said before, do not resist.”

It did not take Aura Sense to see that Alyssa was still angry, even as Vanessa helped her up. Vanessa told her soldiers, “Be ready to move out at a moment’s notice. We are closer to our goal today than ever before!”

Vanessa received salutes and cheers from her troops. She then turned around and walked back over to her tent. She expected Alyssa to follow her. The footsteps she heard from behind her confirmed that Alyssa was submitting to her orders reluctantly for now.

As Vanessa and Alyssa were closing in on the command tent, Vanessa heard her prisoner’s voice from behind her saying, “I heard a story about you from Annika. So did the rest of our team.”

Vanessa reached the flap of her tent and then asked Alyssa, “Was it the story of the time I got angry at some human children for demeaning certain Pokémon species?” Vanessa then walked inside of her tent, turned around and held the flap open for the cuffed Alyssa.

As Alyssa walked inside of the tent and looked around, she replied, “Yes, yes it was.”

Vanessa leaned against a wooden table with a map of the region on it and told Alyssa, “Annika listened to my explanation of the dignity and worth of even the weakest Pokémon. She probably did not understand everything that I was trying to say at the time. We were so young, after all. Still, she did listen and I appreciated that.”

Alyssa admitted, “After hearing that story, your current plot confuses me even more than it did before. Even as a child you recognized that each and every Pokémon had worth as a conscious being. Yet now, you have completely forsaken your own birth species and are trying to deny them of their right to exist.”

Vanessa told Alyssa, “As I know your wife has to have told you, I loved Pokémon from a very young age. I always saw such amazing potential in them and thought that every species was special in its own way. Having been given an opportunity by some sort of divine providence to come to this dawning world and become a Pokémon, I was ecstatic to discover Pokémon civilization for myself. I want to protect and advance Pokémon civilization and I have seen what happens when humans are given time and resources. Humans and Pokémon are not the same, Alyssa. They cannot cooperate in the long run. I will give this world a chance to be better than my own birth world by eliminating the competition to civilized Pokémon. There will be things lost in the extermination of humanity, sure. However, I cannot see an alternative that gives Pokémon the freedom and self-determination that they deserve. I know humanity because I once walked among them. They will find ways around any barriers in their way. That is why they have to be wiped out completely. Besides, Pokémon are morally superior to humans as far as I am concerned.”

Alyssa stepped forward towards Vanessa and angrily asked her, “You really think that Pokémon are morally superior to humans? You say that humans will overrun Pokémon and marginalize them? Pokémon can do horrible things to each other, you know. I was enslaved by other Pokémon in my younger years and sold like property. I have seen Pokémon attempt all manner of atrocities well before I even knew you existed. I was the assistant to a madmon for an extended period of time without fully realizing it until I evolved!”

Vanessa calmly replied, “I cannot argue with you there. That was a major part of why I did not want to fight your society, Alyssa. I was hoping that while my forces did away with the human menace, your society and those like you could deal with Pokémon who lost their way. In the end, my worries about Annika wanting to oppose my plans turned out to sadly be justified. It does not matter though, Lord Zygarde has said that I am worthy to command the Army of Mew and I will do just that. In due time, I will see this world cleansed of humanity.”

Alyssa growled, “So, you think that you are some kind of chosen one? You think that you are here to do what must be done due to some divine will?” The Lucario seemed to be about to say something else. However, she held her tongue.

Vanessa did not care much about what else Alyssa was going to tell her. She looked her prisoner in the eyes and told her, “I wanted to speak with you mainly to tell you this, Alyssa. I do not want to kill you, Annika, or any of your society members. You have done this world multiple great services. You stopped, Lucius, Eternatus and many other evildoers. With all of that said, I cannot and will not allow you to stand in the way of what has to be done to save this world’s future. I have ‘married’ myself to my mission and I will see it through to the end.”

Alyssa sighed and asked Vanessa, “I see… What are you going to do with me, dare I ask?”

Vanessa walked over to her pack and took out some bright red cloth. She then walked back over to Alyssa and told her, “I am not going to kill you if I can help it, like I said. You are going to be a critical bargaining chip for me. I intend to give Annika one last chance to stop opposing me. However, if things turn out how I think they will, we will have to see how deeply she loves you first.”

Alyssa’s eyes and mouth widened. That gave Vanessa the opportunity to stuff some of the balled-up red cloth into her mouth. Vanessa then used the other piece to keep the cloth in place, gagging Alyssa. Vanessa deftly tied a knot behind Alyssa’s lower head to keep her gag on.

Vanessa looked over at her glaring prisoner and told her, “We will be moving out soon and you will be coming with us. You probably know what I am planning by now. You seem like a smart girl. I am sorry that it all came to this, Alyssa. Just know that I am doing what I am doing for the good of all present and future Pokémon, even if they do not realize it.”

As Alyssa glared at Vanessa over her bright red gag, Vanessa took Alyssa by the arm and led her out of the command tent. The leader of the Crimson Company believed that the hour of her victory was coming ever closer. This world would be saved from the humans no matter how much effort it took and no matter the costs involved.


	26. The Steel Temple

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Annika, Drake, Linda, Rocco, Sylvester, Zoey and Lydia were now closing in on the bottom of the pit. As the pathway flattened out at the bottom, they all saw the entrance to the Steel Temple. The imposing columns hid a smaller entryway, just like they had at the Rock and Ice Temples.

As she led her team down into the pit, Annika’s mind was still racing from watching her wife Alyssa being abducted by the Crimson Company’s Honchkrow Flight Leader, Vito. Annika was trying to maintain some semblance of composure. She kept trying to reassure herself that she and her comrades would free Alyssa sometime soon. She knew intellectually that obtaining the Steel Part was more important in the grand scheme of things than the safety of any one individual. However, Alyssa was the one that she loved. How could she not be terrified over what the Crimson Company could be doing to the love of her life.

As the CAS Away Team minus Alyssa made their way onto the rough oval of dirty ground at the bottom of the pit, Annika saw a series of Baltoy and Claydol floating menacingly towards them. These had to be some of the centuries-old guardians left behind to protect the temple.

Annika’s claws flared with black energy. She needed someone or something to take out her intense anxiety on right now. Even though these automatons had nothing to do with the Crimson Company, or the Dominion of Zygarde, they were the hostiles right in front of her right now.

Lydia stayed not far behind the rest of the CAS Away Team as they all advanced across the barren ground towards the levitating automatons. Drake said, “I don’t think that these guardians will let us just walk right in and take the Steel Part. They probably do not understand how many lives are at stake right now.”

Annika replied by ordering, “Engage them and bring them down! We have no time to waste and we need to get inside of the temple!”

Zoey told everyone, “We will certainly face more like them in the temple proper. We should need to remain on our guards and stay vigilant.”

Lydia added, as it looked like the fight was about to begin, “I will do my best to keep us alerted about any threats coming from the rear.”

Annika charged at a Claydol as the patrol automatons all rushed towards the CAS members. Everyone knew that these ancient guardians were unlikely to listen to reason. They would need to be defeated if the retrieval of the Steel Part was going to be a success.

The Baltoy and Claydol fired off psychic energy beams and boulders at the CAS members as they advanced. Annika ducked a series of rocks thrown by the Claydol she was advancing on and then leapt at the foe.

As Rocco kept two Baltoy off of Annika by pelting them with spikes, the Weavile landed on the Claydol she had targeted. Her dark energy claws sunk deep into two of the foe’s many eyes.

The Claydol recoiled in pain as Sylvester took down four Baltoy with a well-aimed cone of high-pressure water. Zoey began to fire off her homing stars as Linda downed a wounded Claydol with a barrage of homing leaves.

Drake landed in a small clump of enemies and blasted them all with intense sound waves emanating from the top of his head. Annika prepared to attack the Claydol that she was hanging on to again. However, the foe spun at such a rapid speed that Annika was thrown off of it a good distance.

Annika hit the ground back first and moaned in pain. She knew that her anger and frustration were distracting her right now. As she tried to get up, a hostile Baltoy floated over to her and looked ready to attack her. 

Much to Annika’s surprise, Lydia ran in front of her and struck the Baltoy with a lashing vine. The automaton recoiled back. As it did so, Rocco ran over and chomped down on it, hard. Oddly enough, the chomp downed the clay Pokémon successfully.

Annika smiled at Lydia and told her, “Good job, kid!” She then leapt up onto her feet and then fired an icy blast at another Claydol. Her shot wounded and slowed it down enough that Drake could easily siphon its energy away, downing it for good.

Sylvester charged the Claydol that had thrown Annika off and nailed it with a sweep of his water-covered tail. The attack eliminated the foe and now only a few Baltoy remained.

Zoey downed a Baltoy with a star barrage and Linda took another one down with her homing leaves. The final enemy blasted Sylvester with a psychic ray and was then charged by Lydia who leapt into the air and took it out with one vine sweep to the head.

As everyone was looking at Lydia, the intern blushed and said, “I guess that I just ‘got pumped’ as they say.”

Annika put a clawed hand an Lydia’s shoulder and told the Snivy girl, “You did a good job. You certainly kept me safe for once and you even took out a foe. Just be careful, not every enemy will be weak to your attacks like those ones were.”

Lydia nodded and then everyone took only a couple of moments to rest and regroup before entering into the Steel Temple. Once inside, they all saw a statue of Registeel, according to Zoey, as well as some steel Pokémon. One of the statues was one of a Lucario. Just seeing it made Annika clench her claws, thinking about her captured wife as she did so.

Annika and company did not have much time to think and look around upon entering the Steel Temple. They quickly spotted a Bronzong and a small swarm of Bronzor floating towards them from the other side of the entrance room. These were the first wave of guardians inside of the temple proper.

Zoey asked Annika, “Permission for some of us to use blast seeds? I, for one, do not know how much I can do to these automatons.”

Annika nodded and then readied her claws for a fight. She charged at the Bronzong with Rocco not far behind her.

Drake flew up into the air, charged up his energy razors and shouted, “Even if I cannot do massive damage to them, I can at least try to hit all of them at once!”

Sylvester blasted a Bronzor out of the air with a water shot. Zoey used telekinetic force to retrieve a blast seed from her pack and toss it at a Bronzor. The attack dented and charred the metal disc automaton badly enough that Linda just needed to hit it with a blast of fey wind to knock it out.

The Bronzong and Annika advanced on each other as Rocco did his best to cover Annika by menacing some Bronzor with his fangs. Steel balls flew at Annika and her team from the enemies, along with a few mental assaults. However, Annika was able to avoid being hit by anything that would affect her.

The Bronzong slammed right into Annika, stunning her a bit and making her feel almost nauseous with pain. However, Annika still swung her claws at the levitating foe as they were charged with dark energy. The automaton was sent reeling as Rocco bit down into a Bronzor, removing it from the combat.

Drake flew forward as Linda fired an Aura Sphere into the Bronzong that Annika had been fighting. As he passed over the swarm of disc-like automatons, he bombarded them with energy razors from above.

Lydia was staying back and taking cover this time. Zoey took down a wounded Bronzor with a second telekinetically-thrown blast seed. Sylvester managed to down four Bronzor with one cone-shaped blast of water. Rocco leapt forward and bit down on the handle atop the enemy Bronzong. He then grabbed it’s “arms” in his pincers and raised it up. Before the enemy automaton could react, Rocco threw it to the floor in one mighty movement. The Bronzong was defeated and Annika smiled over at Rocco, who was now breathing heavily.

The last few Bronzor were soon defeated by the away team as Lydia watched from her cover. As everyone regrouped, Annika ordered, “We will head as deep into the temple as we need to and recover the Steel Part! Rocco, see if you can make either claw or tooth marks on the walls to help us find our way back if need be.”

Rocco nodded and then saluted Annika, who then began to lead the way into the temple. The CAS Away Team had to prepare and then use torches as they got deeper into the Steel Temple. However, they saw some areas that were lit. The guardians kept some of the flames alive it seemed. Occasionally, they would have to defeat a roaming guardian Claydol, Bronzong, or Klang. However, these lone foes were no match for the six Away Team members.

After what felt like at least an hour of exploring, Annika and Company found themselves in a long, torch lit, corridor that looked like it ended in a larger chamber. Annika was pretty sure that she could make out a towering statue of Registeel in the chamber ahead.

Standing in the way of the adventurers were two Golett and a Golurk. The automatons wasted no time in engaging the team. The Golurk tossed a ball of shadowy energy into Zoey, knocking her back and making her snarl from the resulting pain. The pair of Golett charged forward at full speed, trying to engage Annika’s team up close.

Sylvester stepped forward in front of the rest of the team and projected a wide cone of water that damaged all three enemies. Drake leapt up into the air and drained some life out of one Golett, which Linda finished off with a bombardment of sharp homing leaves.

The surviving Golett reached Sylvester and punched him hard right in the nose. However, Annika countered with a claw hack imbued with black light. Lydia ran forward and downed the teetering Golett with a vine strike. She seemed empowered after the fight with the Baltoy and Claydol.

The Golurk now advanced on the away team and withstood a psychic ray from Zoey as it did. The humanoid automaton leapt up into the air and looked ready to land with devastating impact.

Drake full-body slammed the Golurk and drained out some of its energy as he did so. He and the guardian landed on the floor of the corridor as Linda fired off another bombardment of homing leaves into the enemy.

Annika saw the Golurk toss Drake off of it and into the air. As it stood back up, it took an icy headshot from her and collapsed to the ground. The automaton was out of the fight and no longer functioning.

As the team recovered, Annika said, “The chamber ahead has to be the place where the Steel Part is kept. We are almost there, everyone! As soon as we have the part, we will go find Aly, rescue her and head back home!”

The CAS away team charged into the brazier lit deepest chamber of the Steel Temple. They saw a single Klinklang floating in the chamber, facing away from them. The automaton spun around only to be struck by a bombardment of attacks. Linda fired an Aura Sphere into its red core after everyone else had fired off what they had at it.

The singular guardian collapsed to the ground in a heap. It had likely been a powerful Pokémon. However, the absolute volley of attacks from the veteran CAS members was enough to bring it down quickly.

Annika and her comrades looked around the chamber and saw the gargantuan statue of Registeel standing over a pedestal. Atop the pedestal was a triangular wedge made of steel that glowed slightly. Annika had a pretty strong feeling that that had to be the Steel Part.

As the rest of the team surveyed the room, Annika ran up to the pedestal and grabbed the Steel Part. She felt slightly energized just by holding the ancient artifact. Somehow, this part, along with the Ice Part and the Rock Part, formed the Master Key that opened the Army of Mew’s vault. That key alone could magically grant the vault’s opener command of the vast army.

As Annika put the Steel Part in her pack, she said, “Ok, everyone, we need to double back as quickly as we can and make our way to the surface! Once we are there, we will make a camp and then see if we can find where Aly was taken and bust her out of there!” Annika was doing her best to stay positive, despite her considerable amount of fear for her wife’s safety.

Using the claw marks that Rocco had left in the temple’s walls, the CAS members and Lydia made their way back through the building until they were back at the bottom of the pit. Then, as the sky slowly began to darken, they began to make their way up the winding path that led back to the surface. They were hoping to get out of the pit before nightfall and then rest at the most defensible place they could find. Rescuing Alyssa would have to wait, but hopefully not for that long.


	27. The Exchange

As evening fell across the desert wasteland near the southern coastline of the Larokian Continent, Annika and company were trekking back up to the top of the pit that held the Steel Temple at its bottom. Having defeated the temple’s guardians, the CAS Away Team had secured the Steel Part and were on their way out of the pit. They were planning on finding a defensible place to make a camp for the night soon. After that, they would have the unenviable task of trying to locate the nearest enemy camp and mount a rescue of the captured Alyssa.

Annika was still doing her best to not think about what could be happening to her captured beloved. She did not have any evidence that the Crimson Company tortured Pokémon that they took prisoner. However, they were a band of ruthless murderers that clearly did not allow anyone to stand in the way of their goals.

Zoey pointed out, “It is getting dark out here. We might need to pick up the pace if we want to reach somewhere safe to make our camp by the time that night fully falls.”

Annika nodded and said, “We better start looking as soon as we get out of the pit. We should probably head a bit south, since our enemies came from the north before. Still, we will need to head north if we are to have a chance of rescuing Alyssa soon.”

Sylvester added, “We can only hope that the enemy has not taken her farther north, or plans to do so. That would make it hard for us to find and free her.”

Drake scolded, “Let’s not be too pessimistic now. We finally beat the Crimson Company to one of the key parts. We might have a chance to stop their genocidal plan now.”

As the seven Pokémon neared the top of the winding pathway, Lydia said, “Even thought she was quite harsh with when we first met, I hope that we get Alyssa back. I know how much your wife means to you, Annika.”

Annika nodded and smiled back at Lydia as she was soon about to emerge from the pit and be back at the surface. As she did so, thinking about what she would say when she was reunited with her wife, Annika heard Linda calling out, “Guys…. Look up ahead!”

Soon after emerging from the pit, Annika looked straight ahead and her face took on a scowl. She could see what looked like at least ten Pokémon coming towards them on the ground from the north. They were in fact quite close by now. Flying above them were at least eight airborne Pokémon led by the same Honchkrow from before, Vito. Most interesting to Annika was the fact that Vanessa herself was at the head of the procession on the ground.

As Annika realized that her team was both very tired and outnumbered over two to one, she gasped. She saw that Vanessa was holding the arm of another Pokémon. It was Alyssa. Annika could see that the Lucario was gagged tightly with a piece of red cloth. Her arms were also bound behind her back somehow judging by the positions that they were in.

Alyssa and Annika locked eyes across the sands. The light was fading, but Annika knew that Alyssa did not appear to be injured. She was only struggling moderately, but she had a defiant look in her eyes.

As the Crimson Company Pokémon advanced towards the CAS Away Team with their single prisoner, Annika was not sure of what to do. Why had Vanessa brought her valuable prisoner with her to attack the CAS team? Unless…

Before Annika could say anything, Vanessa held out her hand that was not holding onto Alyssa to stop her force’s advance. Most of Vanessa’s followers looked ready to fight. They also looked experienced enough to be a real danger to even the veteran fighters of the CAS.

Annika did the same thing, causing her team to cautiously cease their advance towards Vanessa, Alyssa and the hostile soldiers.

Vanessa called out, seeming in a decent mood, “Well, there you are, Annika. I have not seen you since our encounter at the Rock Temple.”

Annika called back, clear anger in her voice, “What did you do to Alyssa?”

Vanessa looked almost offended and replied, “She has not been harmed since being taken into our custody. We actually had an interesting chat, her and I. Apparently you and I both remember the same story from our childhoods, from what Alyssa has told me.”

Annika knew that this situation was not good for her. Vanessa held all of the cards expect for the Steel Part. She had more fighters with more energy and she also held Annika’s beloved wife captive. However, Vanessa was not commanding her forces to attack just yet.

Vanessa continued, “It looks to me like all of you were just down there in that old hole in the ground. I think that you might have found something down there. I think that it is probably the Steel Part. Would I be wrong in saying that?”

Annika glared back at Vanessa and asked her, “What if it is? What if we found nothing down there in that old temple?”

Vanessa chuckled and sighed. Her face then took on a more serious expression as she tightly gripped Alyssa’s arm. She then told Annika, “I want the Steel Part, Annika. I will make you a very generous offer. You give me the Steel Part and I will give you your wife unharmed? We will all walk away and nobody else here gets hurt, or killed, tonight.”

Annika clenched her claws as all eyes were on her. She knew that if she refused to surrender the part, her enemies could possibly take it by force. She thought of Phira back in Creekside. She thought about the possibility of her being murdered, suffering the fate that her whole village had suffered. Annika then called back, “I know exactly what you will do with the Steel Part, Vanessa! Everyone here knows what you want to inflict on this world! I cannot give it to you in good conscience!”

Vanessa began to growl angrily. She shouted back, “Inflict is not the word that I would use. It is not even close.” She then took a deep breath and placed her other clawed hand around Alyssa’s throat. The Lucario looking as defiant as ever. Vanessa told Annika, “I truly hate to give you this ultimatum, but you have forced me to it. I will offer you the same exchange again. However, if you do not comply within roughly one minute… she dies. I hate the mere thought of killing a defenseless Pokémon. With that said, I am not going to waste time debating with you anymore. I could take the part from you by force, but I know that that would cost more lives on both sides.”

Annika’s eyes were now welling up with tears. She stepped forward, filled with a raging mix of emotions. She then withdrew the Steel Part from her backpack. Nobody in her team moved to stop her.

As Vanessa began to withdraw her hand from Alyssa’s neck, Annika did her best to stop tearing up. She then told Vanessa, “Send Aly this way and I will give you what you want. I just want you to know that I hate that you have become this monster, Vanessa. You should have come to me before. Instead, you let the worst in you win out.”

Vanessa pressed something from her pack into one of Alyssa’s bound hands. She then told the Lucario, “Get walking. I guess that Annika’s love for you is true after all. Not that I ever doubted it.”

As Alyssa walked over to her wife and comrades, Annika sighed the deepest she ever had and hurled the Steel Part at Vanessa with all of her strength.

Vanessa caught the Steel Part and smiled for a moment as Alyssa closed in on Annika and the others. As Annika walked over to her bound and gagged wife, Vanessa’s troops started to head north. Vanessa told Annika, “This is you and your comrades and allies’ final warning, Annika. Stop interfering in our plans and allow this world to be cleansed. I would hate to have kill any or all of you, but I will do just that if you interfere again.”

As Alyssa turned around to face Vanessa, Annika saw that the Lucario had been cuffed with draining restraints. The cuffs used by the, now defeated, CTO to bind their prisoners. The Crimson Company must have found a way to procure a pair. Alyssa was holding the key to her cuffs in one of her hands. Annika then leapt up a bit and easily sliced through the knot securing Alyssa’s gag. Alyssa spit out some red cloth as Annika took the key to her cuffs.

Vanessa continued, as her force cautiously retreated, “You should know that you have lost by this point and are being spared because I don’t want to kill you. I also do not want to risk myself and my allies doing away with you. Still, with that said, you all should stick around and enjoy what Larokia has to offer, maybe enjoy some of the local beaches. You do not have to go home just yet.”

As Annika unlocked Alyssa’s cuffs and the Lucario rubbed her wrists, Vanessa finished, just before leaving audible range, “I know where the vault is, by the way. Lord Zygarde imparted that knowledge to me months ago. Goodbye, Annika. I hope not to see you again until you have fully accepted the folly of your resistance.” With that, Annika and company saw Vanessa and her followers making a full retreat north. They had nothing left to say to the CAS members.

Annika put the draining cuffs and their key in her pack, knowing that they could come in handy in the future. She and Alyssa then locked eyes. Annika stammered to her wife obvious emotion in her voice, “I am so sorry, Aly. I could not let you die. They would have killed you and then attacked us to get the part if I had refused to hand it over.”

Alyssa solemnly nodded and told Annika, her eyes closed for a moment, “I should be so mad at you right now. Yet, I am not. That’s because if our places had been swapped, I am sure that I would have done what you did. I love you, Annika. I just cannot blame you for choosing my life over all else.”

Drake stepped in now and admitted, “As odd as this sounds, I kind of hate being alive due to the mercy of an enemy. Especially one who shows absolutely no mercy to others.”

Rocco asked, “What do we do now? They have all three key parts and they know where the vault is!”

Zoey said, “Even if we knew where the vault was, we would not have the forces to try and beat them there and hold it. Also, they have probably secured the vault by now, or will do so soon. If Zygarde has always known its location, he could have sent his forces there pretty much whenever he wanted to.”

Sylvester sighed and said, “The location of the vault is one mystery that I would give almost anything to solve right now. Maybe the enemy will still have to excavate it? We might still have some time before Vanessa can get control of the Army of Mew!”

Annika told her team, “We need to make a camp where we can and then head south for the nearby town. From there, we should be able to reach the port city of Harburg by riverboat in less than a day according to our maps. From there, we need to get back home to Creekside after sending one last letter ahead, no matter what Vanessa said. I would have us pursue the enemy now. However, I do not think that we are in the shape to do it, even with Alyssa back. They will be watching carefully to see if we follow them, even when most of them have to rest. They could also have the Steel Part sent by air courier somewhere else just to be safe.”

Linda asked, as the team made their way south, “Annika, why are we heading home, as nice as it will be to get back there?”

Annika told everyone, “Even though we have failed to keep the three key parts out of hostile hands, we have to get Lydia there as per our deal. More importantly in the grand scheme of things, we have to rally our home and our allies. If we are to stop Vanessa and Zygarde now, with or without the Army of Mew at their beck and call, we will need to gather every ally that we have.” Annika then raised her voice and finished, “This is not over yet! We have not yet lost! Vanessa made a mistake by leaving us alive and she will pay for that!”

Lydia told Annika, “I will follow you all home to Creekside. Still, I want to help you all however I can until this is finished one way or another. I won’t give up and neither should any of you!”

Annika and Alyssa both smiled at Lydia as Rocco told Alyssa, “Lydia fought alongside us a couple of times when we were entering the Steel Temple. She actually took down a couple of enemies and defended Annika once.”

Alyssa looked impressed as her pack with her Mega Stone, which Rocco had been carrying along with his own, was returned to her. Alyssa mentioned, “I will need to work on mending this a bit. However, it is still good to be back… and alive.”

The CAS Away Team members made their way south for another hour and then found a place to rest for the night. They would need to reach the nearby town of Klastar the next morning and then hopefully reach the city of Harburg by that day’s end. They needed to return home to Creekside Town as quickly as they could in order to prepare for whatever battles awaited them.


	28. Harburg City

After resting the night, the CAS Away Team made what they hoped would be the last land journey of their unsuccessful trip. They reached the town of Klastar at the edge of the wastelands in the early morning. They did not bother to book accommodations for their extremely brief stay in the riverside town. They needed to reach the port city of Harburg located not far south down the river as soon as possible. From there, they would do whatever they could to board a ship headed back to the Grand Island. They wanted to get home to Creekside Town as fast as they could.

Thankfully, Annika and company were able to board a riverboat headed to Harburg soon after eating lunch at a café in Klastar. Fortunately for the team, it seemed like boats traveled between the two settlements pretty frequently.

When they all arrived in Harburg that evening, Annika and her comrades booked rooms for just one night at an inn near the docks. They planned to try to see if they could get out of the port city the next day if at all possible. There was no time to waste.

The next morning, Annika ordered her team to split up. She would go with Alyssa and Lydia to look for a ship that could take them to the Grand Island. Everyone else expect for Drake was to purchase supplies for the final legs of their journey home. Drake was to be on letter mailing duty as usual. They needed to alert their home base to what was going on and tell them that they would be home soon. Annika knew that it would be at least a five day voyage to Dralka Town and then another day or two to reach home. However, she did not have any faster way back to Creekside available to her.

There was also the concerning fact that the CAS Away Team’s money was running out. They could not really afford to stay away from Creekside right now. They would hopefully have enough money to buy whatever supplies they needed and then pay for their passage back home. They certainly did not have the time to do any work for the locals in order to make more money. Also, they did not know if whoever ran Harburg had any jobs they needed doing fit for adventurers of the away team’s caliber anyway.

Annika, Alyssa and Lydia were walking down the street that bordered the Harburg docks. Annika had noted the fact that most of the cities she had visited bordered a body of water. It was certainly good for both commerce and travel, which often went hand in hand.

As the three females were looking for someone to ask, or something to consult. about the ships in the harbor and their future destinations, Alyssa sighed and said, “Annika, I still cannot blame you for choosing to save my life. Also, I do not think that infighting will help us at all right now. Still, I cannot help but feel guilty that my life having been spared could lead to the deaths of thousands.”

Annika reminded her wife, “Vanessa has become something twisted for sure. However, she sticks to her beliefs by and large, as much as I hate to admit it. She wants to minimize Pokémon deaths overall. Even though we eliminated much of her forces earlier, she did not want to risk more of them in order to kill or capture us. She also was hoping that we would come to view her as unstoppable and walk away from the conflict. Sadly for her, we will not take the supposed last chance that she gave us. We cannot allow her to complete her mission of genocide.”

Alyssa sighed again and admitted, “I wish that Vanessa could have been talked down from her insane plans years ago. It seems to me that she could have done something good for this world with her Crimson Company. However, the choices that Vanessa made are her own. Annika, please, you should absolve yourself of any and all guilt you might still be feeling for the way that she turned out.”

Annika nodded and replied, “You are right, darling. Still, just because we took advantage of her mercy, does not mean that we are through with Vanessa. She will end up harming and killing plenty of Pokémon along with her human targets if she gains control over the Army of Mew. No matter what dark future she thinks will befall this world down the line, I do not believe that what she is attempting to do could ever be worth it.”

Lydia seemed deep in thought. She then looked up at Annika and Alyssa. The Snivy orphan told the couple, “I know what I have to do. … After all that we have been through, I have decided that if you will have me, I want to join your adventurers’ society. Even if that has to wait until you have stopped the Crimson Company and Zygarde’s Dominion, I want to be like the two of you someday. You two are like nobody I have ever met. You both really are selfless and heroic.”

Alyssa looked over at her wife, unsure of what to say to Lydia. Annika smiled down at Lydia and told her, “I think that you will make a fine addition to our organization in due time, Lydia. You will probably have to be in training for some time. However, especially since I still plan to expand our society into a larger guild, you should be able to find a place as a valuable member of our organization as long as you put in the proper effort.”

Lydia grinned up at Annika and told her, “I will do whatever I need to do, ma’am. Also, I was thinking, even if Vanessa gains control over the Army of Mew, maybe taking her down afterwards would leave the army without a commander and they would stop functioning?”

Alyssa admitted, “That could work. However, they could just end up following Vanessa’s most recent orders even after she is neutralized. I still hope that we can somehow locate the vault and stop her from opening it with the Master Key, as unlikely as that will be at this point.”

Annika added, “I will not let Vanessa get away with her crimes, that much I can promise you. However, I still hate the thought of killing her. With all of that said, that could be what has to be done in order to prevent her genocidal vision from coming true. I do not want this world’s future to be human misrule, whether or not that was what happened on my birth world. However, as we all know, Vanessa is going about building a free future for Pokémon in a tragically wrong way. I do not believe that anyone can talk her out of her hateful madness now.”

Alyssa nodded, she clearly knew from her own conversation with Vanessa that the Blaziken was not about to give up her plans for any reason. She was a true fanatic, through and through.

As the trio made their way down the docks, looking at the docked ships there, Annika could swear that she saw a familiar ship not all that far in the distance. She asked Alyssa and Lydia, “Is that the _Kingdra_? The ship that we sailed to Larokia from Takadia on?”

Alyssa smiled and replied, “Yes, yes it is. In fact…”

Annika saw the Kingler Captain Jacopo and two of his Krabby sailors coming towards the trio. Jacopo was wearing his usual Captain’s hat and seemed to be smiling.

The trio walked over to the sailors and Captain Jacopo briefly took of his hat with his larger claw and waved it to the trio in a salute of sorts. He asked, “Annika, Alyssa, Lydia I think it was, what are you all doing here?”

Annika smiled at the Captain and told him, “We could ask you the same question, Captain. Still, I don’t know about you, but our situation has turned dire. Our enemies have secured all three parts of the Master Key and know where the vault of the Army of Mew is. We are trying to get back home to Creekside Town now. We are hoping to rally our allies there and figure out our next move.”

Jacopo looked a little bit stunned by Annika’s words. He then stroked his chin with his smaller claw. He then told the trio, “Say no more, ladies. There is no time to be wasted now! We will finished preparations on the _Kingdra_ and set sail for Dralka Town by the end of the day. Gather your team and be prepared to board as quickly as you can. Thankfully, we did manage to get two new ballistae for the front of the ship, in case we run into trouble again. I made sure to have my crew coat the fronts of the ballistae with extra armor plating after what happened the last time we sailed together.”

Annika was speechless at the Kingler Captain’s show of generosity. Alyssa told him, “Thank you, Captain. We will return to our inn and await the return of the rest of our team there. Once we are all packed and checked out, we will head over to your ship and board her when you allow us to. We will pay you what we can for this emergency voyage. We insist. Right, Annika?”

Annika nodded and told Jacopo, “The Creekside Adventurers’ Society thanks you, Captain. We will pay you as well as we can upon our arrival at Dralka Town’s port.”

Jacopo nodded and then told Annika, “You can thank me by both helping to protect the _Kingdra_ against any hostiles we may encounter of the way back and by defeating this ‘Crimson Company’ for good afterwards.” He then told his two sailors, “Come on, lads, we need to get our ship ready to sail by the time night falls! We won’t let our esteemed passengers down!”

The trio of crustacean Pokémon all quickly scuttled off back towards their ship in order to prepare her for the upcoming voyage. Annika was greatly relieved that her organization had finally caught a break. They really needed it right now. Fortunately, there were still plenty of Pokémon out there who respected and admired her society. Hopefully, they would be enough to overcome any challenge that Vanessa and her allies threw their way. Hopefully, they could even defeat the Army of Mew if it came down to it.

Annika, Alyssa and Lydia returned to their inn where they awaited the rest of the team’s return on the first floor. Once everyone was back, they explained the luck that they had recently experienced by finding Jacopo and his crew again. They also explained the offer of transportation that the Kingler Captain had given them and that they had accepted it. Drake also confirmed that he had finished his final round of letter-mailing to Creekside Town.

Once their new supplies had been inventoried, the CAS Away Team members all checked out of their rooms and made their way to the docks where they boarded the _Kingdra._ They had to wait a couple hours as they got settled in to their cabins. However, not that long after everyone was settled, the ship departed from Harburg and began to make its way south towards the Grand Island.

The voyage to Dralka Town had been predicted to take six days with any luck. Once the CAS Away Team arrived at Dralka Town, they would need to make their way back to Creekside as fast as possible via Suicune’s River. Annika did not know what plan she and her comrades would come up with upon returning home. However, she knew that they would need some way to locate the ancient vault. If necessary, they would also have to confront and deal with the Army of Mew as well. If it came down to that scenario, then the CAS and those who stood alongside them would have an unenviable task ahead of them. However, Annika could see no other option. Vanessa and Zygarde had to be stopped.


	29. The Return Voyage

The majority of the trip from the Larokian port city of Harburg to Dralka Town on the eastern coast of the Grand Island was relatively peaceful. The well-armed ship _Kingdra_ made it for six days without being attacked by any hostile vessels or aquatic Pokémon.

While the voyage itself was peaceful, Annika and most of her away team had been very restless the whole time. They knew that the odds were stacked against them in their conflict with the Crimson Company and their backers from Northern Larokia. They needed to find a way to locate the Army of Mew’s vault quickly in order to ascertain what their strategy going forward would be. If Vanessa took command of the Army of Mew by the time that they could find the vault, then they would have to find a way to raise a vast army of their own in order to effectively oppose the massed anti-human armies. The fact that Zygarde had his own army back in Larokia made the situation look even bleaker. However, the Grand Island would hopefully prove able to withstand any attacks sent there if a real war was declared. Still, the real problem would be how to protect the world’s humans against hundreds upon hundreds of tireless automatons sent out to eradicate them.

The _Kingdra_ was now on approach to Dralka Town. The ship had been staying close to the grand island’s coastline for over a day now. It was believed that they would reach the port town within a few hours at this point. It was early morning and Annika and Alyssa were standing atop the deck of the mighty ship. Their six away team members, including Lydia, were also milling about the deck. Everyone was excited to finally reach the Grand Island. They had been at sea for quite some time and wanted the trip to be over and done with. They were all grateful to the Captain and crew of the vessel that had now transported them twice. However, they knew that they needed to reach Creekside Town as soon as possible and there was still one leg of the journey left once they made landfall.

As Annika and Alyssa were standing atop the bow of the _Kingdra_ nearby the ship’s new armored front-mounted ballistae, Annika admitted, “Aly, I still do not even really have a plan to stop our enemies now. All I know is that when we get back home, we will have to assess our situation and see what we can do to locate the vault. We will have to see if there is any way to stop Vanessa from opening it by then.”

Alyssa admitted, “I am not sure what more we will be able to do if she gains control of the ancient army. However, I have no intention of giving up now. We cannot allow our enemies to complete their goal. Honestly, I am worried about what Vanessa and Zygarde could do with of the Army of Mew after they manage to purge the world of humanity. Zygarde may want to use it to establish a larger empire for himself and he may be able to convince Vanessa to let him do just that in the name of creating a stable worldwide Pokémon civilization. He seems to genuinely believe in her worthiness to command the automaton army, but she is not immortal like he is.”

Annika nodded and sighed. She hated losing. The CAS had always won out in the end, no matter how dark things had looked for them at times. She remembered being captured by the CTO and by the Reavers of Yveltal even earlier than that. Those foes had all fallen in due time. No matter what happened, no matter what powerful foes the CAS had faced, they and their allies had always come out on top. Now, there was a chance that they would lose and to someone Annika had once called a friend at that. Even if they somehow survived being defeated in the conflict to come, they would have to deal with that loss and its terrible repercussions for the rest of their lives.

As Annika and Alyssa stood on the bow, Alyssa squinted and said, “Annika… I see a ship heading towards us from the southwest fast. It looks to be in between us and Dralka Town. …I am pretty sure that it is flying red sails.”

Annika squinted and was able to confirm a smaller ship with red sails was indeed sailing towards the _Kingdra_ as fast as it could. Somehow, the Crimson Company had gotten control of at least one ship. The bigger question was what the ship was doing here. Why would the Crimson Company be patrolling these waters?

Annika called out, “Everyone, there’s a Crimson Company ship making its way towards us!”

As the crew of the _Kingdra_ began to scramble, Jacopo called out from his raised position, “We cannot let her ram us! All crew, prepare the ballistae to fire and be ready to maneuver the ship to avoid a ramming attack at all costs. These crimson murderers are a persistent bunch of bastards, aren’t they?”

Annika told Lydia, “Run down to our cabins and fetch as many blast seeds as you can! Also, fetch the spyglass from my pack!”

Lydia saluted Annika and told her, “Yes, ma’am!” She then dashed down the stairs to the passenger cabins as fast as she could.

Zoey said, “We should be careful in case they have projectile weapons mounted on their ship! Still, a direct ramming hit could be far worse for us.”

As the enemy warship closed in on the _Kingdra_ , Linda and Drake took to the air, ready to face any airborne enemies. Lydia soon returned with the spyglass and as many blast seeds as she could safely put into a sack.

Annika took the spyglass and told Lydia, “We will want you hurling blast seeds when they close with us. Let’s hope that we are not dealing with experienced sailors here.”

Alyssa’s aura-sensing organs tensed as she announced, “I can sense Tacitus, the Tentacruel from before, on that ship. He seems to be getting a boarding party ready on the main deck from what I can tell. They may want to take this ship intact. Fortunately, I don’t sense any enemies in the water right now.”

Jacopo responded, “They will not find that so easy! We will fight for every inch of this vessel if need be! Prepare the front ballistae to open fire as soon as the enemy vessel is in range!”

Suddenly, there were two mighty splashes in the water not far ahead of the bow of the _Kingdra_. Catapults atop the enemy warship had opened fire and missed narrowly. The _Kingdra_ returned fire with her two frontal ballistae. One shot wedged in the bow of the enemy ship and the other one impacted and broke one of the catapults.

Annika called out, while looking through her spyglass, “They have three more catapults and two of them have not fired yet!”

Alyssa charged up an Aura Sphere while standing atop the bow as the two ships were now facing each other and closing fast. She fired it into the closest functioning enemy catapult and the mechanism shattered into splinters.

Linda flew forward, dodging a catapult boulder. She then fired her own Aura Sphere in retaliation and smashed a third catapult to smithereens. Drake followed her into the air, charging up his energy razors. He called out, “I will see how many of their crew I can take out! Linda, cover me!”

The final catapult fired and its boulder hit the deck of the _Kingdra_ not that far behind where Annika and Alyssa were standing. The shot damaged the deck significantly, but did not injure anybody directly.

Another two ballista bolts flew from the bow of the _Kingdra_. One of them destroyed the final catapult. The other bolt perforated a Sandshrew gunner, killing him on impact.

Enemy ranged attacks flew up at Drake and Linda as they dived at the deck of the Crimson Company warship. The enemy ship seemed determined to come alongside the _Kingdra_ in such a way as to block her from reaching the Grand Island’s coastline and then try to board her.

Alyssa charged up a second Aura Sphere as Rocco, Zoey, Sylvester, Lydia and the crew of the _Kingdra_ readied themselves to repel the enemy boarding action. Alyssa fired her ball of energy into an enemy Golem standing atop the ship, wounding him badly.

Drake flew above the enemy ship and sent a barrage of energy razors cascading down onto the enemy boarding party. His attack downed at least five enemies and wounded many others. Linda fired off some homing leaves into an enemy Golduck who had been taking aim at Drake, downing her with the projectile swarm.

Linda and Drake were engaged by two hostile Cramorant and a hostile Pellipper taking off from the Crimson Company ship. As that happened, the two opposing vessels neared each other and were about to come up alongside each other.

Jacopo ordered, “All crew, head to where the enemy is about to board and prepare to repulse their attack!”

The two ships ground against each other as ranged attacks began to be exchanged between the two crews. The two ballistae on the _Kingdra_ mounted to the side that was about to be boarded fired and slew two enemy crew members. Their gunners then got ready to help fight the enemy boarding party.

Annika rushed forward with Alyssa as the latter Mega Evolved. Rocco, Zoey and Sylvester began to open fire with their ranged attacks as Lydia tossed a blast seed using an extended vine, which exploded on an enemy Nuzleaf and knocked her clean out.

Drake used a pulse of draconic energy to wound two of his pursuers in the air as Linda fired off homing leaves to knock out the enemy Cramorant targeting her.

Annika saw Tacitus’s crew lowering two boarding planks, which they tried to advance across. The Tentacruel used a wave of water to carry himself and three Tentacool onto the _Kingdra_ past the dueling crews. Tacitus saw Annika and Alyssa and shouted, “I will not be silent now! You have defied the Company Head and Lord Zygarde! I will see the end of your defiance today!”

Annika charged at Tacitus with Alyssa right behind her. Alyssa and Annika were blasted by poisonous goo and watery bubbles from their enemies, but they just kept coming. The toxic attacks did nothing to Alyssa’s reinforced body.

Alyssa used her bone staff to down an enemy Tentacool in one hit to the red spot at the center of her face. She then did her best to keep the other two smaller enemies off of Annika.

The battle continued with Drake downing the second enemy Cramorant by draining the life out of him and Linda destroying one of the enemy boarding planks with an Aura Sphere as two enemies were on it. Those two foes plummeted into the ocean below and began to sink. Captain Jacopo’s veteran crew Pokémon were holding their own thanks to the support of Annika’s society members.

Annika rushed at Tacitus, adeptly dodging a poisonous tentacle jab from him, she then slashed into his face with her dark energy claws, sending him reeling in pain.

Zoey blasted the enemy Pellipper out of the sky with a mental energy ray and then shouted, “They can only board from one spot now thanks to Linda! Focus your attacks on the enemies coming across it! I will help Annika and Alyssa!”

Sylvester and Rocco each took a foe down with their attacks as Lydia tossed a blast seed into another foe. Drake and Linda were now relatively free to strafe the deck of the enemy ship and target its dwindling crew from the air, wounded as they were.

Alyssa knocked an enemy Tentacool clean off of the _Kingdra_ in one hit from her bone staff. She then told Tacitus as the final Tentacool looked terrified of her, “You won’t stop us today! We will never stop fighting your leaders!”

Tacitus blasted Annika with a point blank barrage of bubbles and looked ready to retreat, seeing his allies being outmatched again. As he turned around, Annika hacked into his back with a barrage of high-speed claw slashes.

As Tacitus tried to summon up a wave to carry him off of the _Kingdra_ , Zoey looked right at him and channeled a massive mental blast into his mind. Tacitus’s eyes glowed brightly and the two red bulges on the sides of his head burst violently. He slumped over, certainly dead from Zoey’s psychic attack.

Lydia took out the final Tentacool with a blast seed as the remaining enemy crew members retreated back to their own ship. The Crimson Company vessel began to try and pull away from the _Kingdra_. Whoever was left on it knew that they would not win this fight now.

Captain Jacopo ordered, “Sink that ship if at all possible! We do not want her getting away!”

As the Crimson Company vessel began to pull away and head north. Alyssa called out, as her Mega Evolution wore off, “Linda, you and I should fire Aura Spheres into the area where the enemy ship’s hull meets the water! Everyone else, attack as you please!”

Linda and Alyssa both fired their Aura Spheres into the enemy vessel’s lower hull, hoping that there were not nearly enough hostile crew members left active to patch up the damage and stop the flow of water into the ship. Drake flew down to detonate a blast of sound from his head near the spots where the two Aura Spheres had impacted. With the other CAS Pokémon and the crew of the _Kingdra_ all aiming their attacks into the same rough area, a large hole was punched in the hostile ship’s hull near the stern.

Captain Jacopo ordered, “Get us away from her as she sinks! She is taking on water fast! Keep the ballistae ready to fire on any enemies that are still able to attack us!”

The _Kingdra_ pulled away from the sinking enemy ship. As she did, Annika could not help but wonder why the enemy vessel had been patrolling nearby the Grand Island in the first place. What was the Crimson Company up to now? The good news was that they had struck a major blow to their enemies for the first time in a while. Tacitus had not escaped alive this time. His ship and her crew were now headed for a watery grave. Still, sinking one ship was not going to change much in the end. Annika and her team needed to get home fast and see what they could learn. What was the Crimson Company doing in the area and how could they stop it?


	30. Creekside Mobilized

That afternoon, the _Kingdra_ managed to dock at Dralka Town’s port. Multiple members of the ship’s crew had been knocked unconscious or otherwise badly injured during the battle with the Crimson Company. However, no deaths had been sustained among those who had been aboard the _Kingdra._ The victory had been a solid morale-booster for Annika and her away team comrades.

Upon getting their packs all ready and preparing to disembark, Annika and her team thanked Captain Jacopo and his crew for all of their help. They also paid the Captain and his crew as best as they could for the transportation and combat assistance they had provided. Annika and company were reminded that they had to repay Jacopo and his sailors by doing their best to finish the fight against the Crimson Company. That was still true despite the fact that they all knew how dangerous things could be about to become for them. For all that Annika knew, Vanessa had already opened the vault that housed the Army of Mew and was preparing to march it forth to exterminate humanity. There was also the matter of the Crimson Company likely having a presence of some sort on the Grand Island now.

Soon after fully disembarking from the docked _Kingdra_ , Annika and her team talked with some of the locals in Dralka Town. A Clamperl citizen of Dralka recognized the adventurers and told them that there was a riverboat waiting specifically for them not far away. The boat was a fast new model and had been sent from Creekside Town not long ago.

Annika and Company walked over to where the Clamperl had directed them and found a sleek blue and gold riverboat of a decent size. She was captained by a Ludicolo with two Lombre and a Vibrava assisting him.

Upon boarding the riverboat, Annika asked the Ludicolo Captain what was going on. He reported to her that he and his crew were employees of the merchant Saladin. However, they were currently operating under orders from the government of Creekside Town. Saladin himself had left for the Adalsian Continent on what he had called a “mission of critical importance” with a few of his other employees over half a month ago. It sounded like the government of Creekside Town had received all of Drake’s letters intended for their eyes.

The riverboat pulled away from Dralka Town and began to head west on Suicune’s River. The boat’s Captain informed Annika and company that they planned to travel all night long and reach Creekside Town the next day as early as they could. Apparently, everything would be explained once the society members were all back home. Leo had been running the CAS Home Team in Annika’s stead as the Temporary Society Head. It sounded like he would have some new information for Annika and the others when they got back to Creekside.

The well-supplied riverboat sailed its way down Suicune’s River for the rest of the day and through the night. The next day, soon after lunch, the boat finally pulled into the Creekside Town Docks. Annika and company thanked the riverboat’s Captain and small crew and then finally walked back into the riverside town they called home for the first time in weeks.

As Annika was looking around the docks, she heard a female voice calling out, “Annika, everyone, you are all back!”

Alyssa said, “It’s Sapphire, guys.” She pointed to a spot not far away where everyone saw the Primarina senior member of the CAS coming towards them as fast as she could pull her body forward with her two frontal flippers.

Sapphire reached the away team and told them, “I see that you found the riverboat we had waiting for you. We know about the Crimson Company, what they are really up to, their alliance with Lord Zygarde and that they have all three key parts now, thanks to the letters you sent back. We also heard about your new recruit Lydia and about your past relationship with Vanessa, Annika.”

Annika nodded and then asked Sapphire, “Our ship was attacked by a Crimson Company vessel close to Dralka Town. Do you know why that could have happened?”

Sapphire replied, “You all should come with me to our base. Leo and Ryan should be there. As for the enemy ship you encountered, the Crimson Company and the Dominion of Zygarde have been landing troops and supplies on the Grand Island for a couple of weeks now.”

Annika angrily asked, “Are they preparing for an offensive against Creekside? Did they learn about Phira and are trying to break into the town to kill her?”

Sapphire shook her head no and told everyone, as they headed towards their base not far away, “No, Phira is still safe with the town watch. They have sent their forces to a spot in the southwestern badlands only about four days to the northwest from here by a quick march. The Creekside Scouts have been keeping tabs on them as best as they can from a distance.”

Zoey seemed to be deep in thought as Sapphire led the team towards the CAS Base. As they neared the base, Sapphire added, “The Patrician and the Watch and Scouts have been mobilizing as many local Pokémon as they can. We have sent letters to almost every settlement on this island asking for aid as well.”

Annika nodded approvingly as they reached the base, it seemed as though their enemies had come to them now. Things were actually beginning to look up again.

When everyone walked inside of the CAS Base, they saw Leo and Ryan pouring over a map. Sapphire told the two males, “Hey you two, look who I brought home.”

Leo and Ryan looked up and smiled at the away team members as they all crowded into the CAS Base. Leo told Annika, “We certainly missed a lot, but so have you all. Lord Zygarde has sent over a hundred Pokémon into the badlands to the north of here. He has since joined up with them personally. Wing Commander Serena thinks that her scouts have pinpointed their camp’s position.”

Ryan added, “Right before our merchant friend Saladin left for Adalsia, he had learned of Vanessa’s desire to gather all three key parts. He told us about an ancient, partially-buried, shrine dedicated to Mew in the desert badlands. It was nearby where he grew up among the desert nomads. He marked it on a map and it was not too long after that when our enemies landed and made their way into the badlands. They have occupied that rough vicinity in force.”

Zoey exclaimed, “So, the ancient vault was on the Grand Island, not Larokia, or anywhere else, after all! We have no choice but to assault it soon in that case!”

Annika smiled and added, “This could be our final chance to stop the Crimson Company! We have to act fast! With Zygarde on their side they will be able to excavate the shrine pretty fast I wager. It sounds like the Patrician was rallying the locals to form a force able to take the shrine and stop the enemy excavation, right?”

Ryan nodded and then said, “We did receive a letter from our former society member Princess Nia of Anetisia. It was written by her consort Riccardo. Unsurprisingly and fortunately, she has promised to rally everyone that she can in the north and march south into the badlands post haste. I would expect no less from her.”

Sylvester asked, “What about Saladin? We heard that he went to Adalsia, does that mean…”

Alyssa said, “I would bet that if he is trying to help us, he was heading for Shawlia. The locals their still appreciate our help against the armies of Eternatus. If anyone outside of the Grand Island will come to our aid in force, it would be the Shawlians.”

Rocco admitted, “If any help is coming from Shawlia, then we still do not know how long it will take for it to arrive. Hopefully, it will get here soon!”

Annika announced, “Everyone, we have no time to waste! We have one last chance to stop Vanessa and Zygarde now! We have to march on the vault no matter how much the odds are stacked against us now. Hopefully, Nia’s forces come in time to help us. A pincer attack could help us against the enemy’s likely superior numbers. I would hope that we can count on the Creekside Watch and Scouts, right Ryan?”

Ryan nodded and added, “Our old Patrician Marius has even volunteered to help command the force that assaults the ancient shrine. Prelate Aurelia has also been praying to Lady Suicune and giving the usual offerings to her in the hopes that she will also come to our aid. Remember how she helped against the AML and led the army that liberated Shawlia soon after the Battle of Mount Galtia.”

Annika sighed. She balled up her claws into fists and admitted, “We can use all the help that we can get right now. Especially since the enemy will have a powerful Legendary Pokémon with them. I would love to do that smug jerk Zygarde in myself. However, stopping Vanessa from opening the vault is our top priority right now. …By the way, where are Marcy and Lawrence in all of this?”

Leo responded, “They left to get help from Greenprairie only a couple of days ago. They decided to leave Ava home with their old friend Lena, seeing as though this situation is so desperate. Hopefully, they will return with more forces soon. However, we have not heard anything from them since they departed.”

Zoey told Annika, “Boss, I still think that we need to leave as soon as we can! Every day we spend preparing is one in which Vanessa could reach the vault and open it with the Master Key. We have to hope that our allies will follow us to the vault. I know that we will be outnumbered by the Crimson Company and Zygarde’s forces. However, we won’t have this opportunity again. We have been handed what might be a chance to end this war before it begins. We must take it and waste no time in doing so!”

Annika nodded and then said, “Leo, Ryan, Sapphire, please tell the relevant authorities that we need to leave with all of the fighters that we can muster tomorrow morning. We have to engage the enemy in battle and hope for the best. I can only hope that Nia, Saladin, Suicune and whoever else will come to aid us can find the shrine and join us in this battle. Our primary objective will be to stop Vanessa from opening up the vault and gaining command over the Army of Mew. We will also need to neutralize Vanessa for good and kill Zygarde as well if we want to quash their mad dreams and end this conflict.” 

Leo and Ryan both saluted Annika and then headed off, along with Sapphire. Annika told the rest of her society members, “Everyone else, go home and rest the night as best as you can. Lydia, you can stay somewhere in Aly and I’s house for the night. Tomorrow, we will marshal all of the fighters that Creekside Town has to offer and make our way into the badlands. We have to stop the CC and their asshole backer at all costs!”

Everyone nodded and then split up to get some rest. Lydia followed Annika and Alyssa home. As the trio of females walked through the streets of Creekside Town in the afternoon light, Lydia said, “I will be going with you and doing my best to help with supply management, of course. I am not about to let you all engage in an epic battle completely without me. I will try to stay out of the thick of it, but I will do my best no matter how things go down.”

Alyssa smiled at Lydia and told her, “You are really CAS material after all, kid. Maybe one day, you could even head up a guild branch if Annika here gets her way and we expand our organization.”

Annika chuckled and told her wife and Lydia, “For now, we should focus on stopping our enemies and then talk more about my expansion plans later. Lydia, I am really happy that we met you back in Arasia. You will make a fine addition to the CAS one day. Now, why don’t we eat some dinner and then get some early rest. We have to be in our best shape for the march north tomorrow. We will not let Vanessa and Zygarde win and wipe out an entire species!”

Alyssa and Lydia both and nodded as they continued to walk towards the house that Annika and Alyssa had shared for years. They had moved in before their marriage. It had been right after the Battle of Mount Flattop and Annika’s encounter with Palkia in Creekside afterwards.

Lydia had to sleep in the main room of Annika and Alyssa’s house that night after dinner. Annika fell asleep next to her wife that night. She hoped that the fighting citizens of Creekside would be ready to move out the next morning. Even more than that, she hoped that they would reach the shrine in time and be able to stop their enemies, despite their foes’ likely superior numbers. It was going to be quite the battle, that was for sure.


	31. The Grand Clash

The next morning, Annika and the rest of the CAS members, other than Marcy and Lawrence, met at the northern edge of Creekside Town. They were soon joined by slightly over fifty Pokémon. These included the entirety of the Town Watch and the whole Scout force. Watch Captain Samson led his officers while Ryan’s wife Wing Commander Serena led her airborne scouts. The Poliwrath former Patrician of Creekside Town, Marius, led the rest of the locals who had decided to go with the CAS on their momentous mission. Now, there were over sixty Pokémon about to head north to engage in battle against the Crimson Company and the Dominion of Zygarde’s soldiers. They just hoped that they would arrive in time and not have to face off against the Army of Mew as well. A number of locals and Phira were all present to see the fighters off and wish them victory

The force departed Creekside Town as early in the morning as they could and began their trek north closer to the badlands where they would find the shrine that the Army of Mew’s vault was almost certainly buried beneath. Annika was determined to confront Vanessa one last time. She was not about to allow her former friend to succeed in her terrible mission. With any luck, the looming war would be ended before it could truly begin.

Three evenings from when they had marched out from Creekside Town, the Creekside Expeditionary Force, as Marius and Samson had named it, reached the small town at the very edge of the badlands. There, they made a camp, resupplied and prepared for the final day of their journey. They still did not know if any additional help was on the way from anywhere. However, as far as they knew, the enemy had not yet fully excavated the vault. Also, Vanessa may not have yet reached the vault in person at the time. She could still have one, or two, of the key parts with her. Zygarde likely still had the Ice Part. Once Vanessa reached the vault, it was likely that the CEF’s enemies would want to get it fully excavated so that she could go inside and obtain control of the Army of Mew.

The next day, the CEF set off again for the final full day of their journey. They would need to head northwest into the southern portion of the desert badlands, staying in tight formation to avoid being possibly attacked by groups of hostile wild Pokémon. There were few landmarks on the way. However, they used their maps and what few landmarks they could find in order to guide their way through the sandy region. They were going off-road and did not have any friendly Pokémon to talk to. However, they still managed to make their way through the desert towards their ultimate destination, the shrine and the buried vault that it concealed.

That night, the CEF found a series of old ruins in the desert that had been marked on their maps. They knew that this meant that they were close, they were only a couple of hours south of the shrine now. Annika had been doing her best, probably along with most everyone else, to keep her nerves under control. She knew that her forces would be going into battle against an enemy force that would both outnumber them and have a Legendary Pokémon at its head.

Annika and Alyssa fell asleep in each other’s arms that night as they often did. As Annika finally forced herself to fall asleep, she accepted that the next day’s battle could very well determine the fate of the world. Even though no other reinforcements had shown up yet, the CEF would have to give it their all to defeat Zygarde’s army and the CC. The consequences of defeat in tomorrow’s battle would be truly terrifying.

The next morning, the members of the CEF all woke up and got their packs back on. They packed up their camp and then began to make the final leg of their journey. They were hoping to assault the shrine as early in the morning as they could. This would likely be a big open battlefield with very few places, if any, to take cover. Still, the fighters of the CEF were determined to give it their all in order to stop the genocide that could unfold from the buried vault. 

As the CEF members were walking and flying over the desert sands, after traveling for what felt like a couple of hours, they began to see what looked like a thin, towering, structure in the distance. As they closed in on it, Annika pulled out her spyglass and checked it out.

Annika reported, “The tower looks like it tops the shrine, it has a well-worn statue of who I believe is supposed to be Mew at its apex. …I also see a large camp just to the west of the tower. …I also see… the enemy! Zygarde is at the head of what could be as many as two-hundred Pokémon, including a squad of flyers headed up by that Honchkrow, Vito! Zygarde looks different now, more humanoid, actually. Still, no other Pokémon that I know of has the same exact colors as him.”

Alyssa’s Aura Sensing organs waved in the air as the CEF Pokémon continued their advance. She said, “I can start to sense them now. They are aware of us, that is for sure. …I do not think that Vanessa is among them.”

Leo asked, “They have as many as two-hundred of them! We have less than seventy. How are we supposed to beat them and get inside of the vault?”

Annika was at a loss for words as the CEF continued to quickly close in on the shrine. Annika could also begin to make out something moving among some clouds in the distance. However, she was not sure what it was just yet. She knew that they could not retreat now. However, there was no time or terrain to make any sort of tactical maneuver to even the odds. This battle could kill her. However, she would go down fighting if she had to. She was not sure if she could fairly ask anyone else to share in that fate, though.

Alyssa suddenly smiled. She called out, “Annika, everyone. We CAN do this! We need to close in on the shrine and locate Vanessa if she is there! Then, we will have to cut a path through the enemy and get inside of the shrine if need be!”

Sapphire asked Alyssa, “I do not want to back down now, but how do you expect us to win this battle?”

Alyssa smiled and, as Annika looked up at her, proclaimed, “We are NOT alone!”

Annika smiled broadly, she knew that Alyssa’s Aura Sense had picked up friendly reinforcements coming their way. The questions now were who was coming to aid the CEF and how soon would they arrive? 

The CEF closed in on the massed force of Crimson Company and Dominion of Zygarde soldiers led by the transformed Lord of Order. Vito and his flyers were circling and hovering above their ground forces. Thankfully, there was no Army of Mew, or any automaton Pokémon for that matter, among the enemy forces.

As the two forces were now easily within earshot of each other, Annika could see three dots in the distance to the north closing in rapidly. If they were airborne Pokémon, they were certainly large ones.

As the massed enemy force stood its ground, Alyssa said, “I sense Vanessa underground, among other enemies. There is a vast multitude of dormant auras not far away from them. We are in the right place after all. We have found the vault!”

Annika could make out an open entryway into the shrine past the mass of enemies standing in her way. She knew that she would possibly have to fight through all of the enemy Pokémon if she wanted to get down there and confront her former friend for the last time.

The enhanced Zygarde looked over his approaching enemies and called out in a booming voice, “Vanessa is the chosen one! Divine providence has declared that she will ensure that this world’s future will be saved! She has entered the shrine and will soon unseal the vault containing the Army of Mew! Once she has done so, everything you have done will no longer matter! If you wish to stand against the chosen, then I will have no choice but to lead the defense and cut you all down!”

As the three dots in the sky were getting closer and began to look like avian creatures of some kind, the CEF stopped their advance and faced down their enemies at close range. Zygarde had given his final ultimatum and was awaiting a response.

Alyssa almost smirked as the sound of charging footsteps and flapping wings grew louder not far behind the CEF. Annika looked to her left and her jaw dropped. Not very far in the distance to the southwest, she could see Saladin at the head of a flight of airborne Pokémon. On the ground she could make out a single Boltund at the head of what looked like a ground force possibly larger than the CEF. What was most surprising was that advancing ahead of the ground force was an imposing large blue wolf with a sword sheathed in her mane. A Zangoose was riding her as she charged towards the two armies.

As the new arrivals from the south closed in and the three birds from the north did the same, Annika called out, “Zygarde, you can take your future and shove it up your ass! We will not let you and Vanessa achieve your twisted goals!”

Zygarde was about to reply when he realized that the second enemy force was now bearing down on his position. Calls of, “For Shawlia and for Adalsia!” Could be heard as Watch Captain Zoltar’s troops and their allies advanced at full speed. Saladin had delivered in spades.

Lady Zacian, the mighty war wolf being ridden by Shawlia Adventurers’ League Head Eliza, called out, “Zygarde! What you want to accomplish is not a war, it is a monstrous remaking of the world! My brother and I will not stand for this! He is on his way with more of this island’s Pokémon!” Zacian then readied her mighty blade in her mouth and charged forward with Eliza preparing to jump off at the right moment.

Vito called down to Zygarde, “My Lord, there are at least another sixty enemies coming from the north. They are almost at out rear flank! Also…”

Annika and Alyssa grinned as they realized what the giant birds were. Articuno was leading the way and her siblings Zapdos and Moltres were right behind her.

Eliza called out from Zacian’s back, “We came as soon as we could, Annika! We were lucky that the Wolves of War were located and agreed to come with us. We will repay our debt to you all today! For once, Zoltar and I agreed on something!”

Alyssa called out, “The rest of the SAL is with Captain Zoltar and his force. Also…”

Annika heard a proud female voice calling out at the top of her lungs, “We are here as promised, Lady Annika!” A blast of ice struck Vito in the chest as Annika realized that Nia, Princess of Anetisia, was leading the ground forces coming in from the north. Now, this was a battle that they could win.

Zygarde shouted out, “Very well then, we will stand and defend the chosen one as she prepares to save the future! I have absorbed all of my aspects and taken on the power of my Complete Form this time! Face my wrath you fools! CORE ENFORCER!”

As Zygarde charged up a massive beam of green energy, the battle began all around him, ranged attacks flew like mad and Pokémon charged on all sides. Articuno’s voice called out, “ZYGARDE!” This distracted the Lord of Order for long enough that he spun around and fired off his beam into the air it collided with an icy beam from Articuno and sparks of energy flew off of the connection point as both attacks were consumed.

The CAS charged to the right of Zygarde as Annika ordered, “We have got to get into the shrine! Focus on the enemies in front of us and keep pushing until we are no longer outside!”

Ryan ordered, “Drake, Linda, we will keep any and all enemies from following our comrades into the shrine once we get there! The rest of you will have to go and find Vanessa and stop her before she can fully excavate the vault!”

Alyssa nodded and said, “We are still good for now, but we have to hurry! There are at least two smaller clusters of enemy auras in the shrine’s catacombs between us and Vanessa!”

Alyssa Mega Evolved as Zapdos and Moltres detonated massive blasts of arcing energy over the enemy formation’s center. Those attacks helped begin to clear a path for the CAS Pokémon as Articuno engaged Zygarde from the air.

Eliza hopped off of Zacian and bared her claws as the war wolf charged a trio of enemies in the way of the CAS and sliced into them with her sword. All three hostile Pokémon were slain in an instant as their bodies exploded from the massive energy overload.

The enemy’s left flank to the immediate east looked ready to come in and close the gap. However, Annika saw three impressive canine Pokémon charging at that flank. These were Suicune, Entei and Raikou. The Legendary beasts had been roused by Aurelia’s prayers, or at least Lady Suicune had been roused and had led her brethren into battle once more.

Drake, Ryan, Serena and Linda focused on keeping enemy flyers off of the ground team. Annika no longer knew where Lydia, Samson, or Marius even were in the chaos of battle. Her team was simply trying to get past the enemy defenders to reach the shrine’s catacombs at the moment.

Alyssa fired off an Aura Sphere into an enemy Snorlax trying to block their way. That enemy was then felled by a bombardment of attacks from the others before he could react and counterattack.

Annika was still at the head of her team. Leo, Alyssa, Sapphire, Rocco, Zoey and Sylvester were keeping her covered. The enemy was now likely dealing with Nia’s forces as well. They were breaking ranks, but that would not matter much if the Army of Mew was deployed soon. Annika used her claws to down an enemy Eevee quickly as Leo blew an enemy Pinsir away with a torrential blast of fire from his mouth.

Sapphire blasted some enemies standing in front of the shrine’s entrance with a sonic attack and then Rocco, Zoey and Sylvester finished them off. Despite having taken some hits, the CAS members kept going.

As Ryan shot spectral arrows into some of the remaining airborne foes, Drake dived down and detonated a draconic pulse into two enemies on the ground who had been trying to attack Annika. Linda kept firing off attacks to pick off enemies on the ground who were trying to snipe Annika and her team members. Serena and her scouts were also doing their best to keep the CAS members on the ground covered with diving and sniping attacks of their own.

As Articuno and Suicune moved in to engage Zygarde to protect their allies, Zapdos and Moltres kept the enemy flyers mostly distracted and focused on attacking them. Zacian was leaping about and tearing into what she viewed as some of the more dangerous enemies on the battlefield. Annika could not see much else as she was now focused on the unprotected entrance to the shrine’s catacombs. She and her ground team were almost there.

Dodging some attacks as he went and taking one bolt of lighting in the process, the badly-wounded Vito flew down and tried to physically block the entrance to the shrine while hovering. He shouted, “I will not let you stop Vanessa! I won’t let her, or Lord Zygarde, down!”

Annika simply rolled her eyes and sniped Vito in the head with a shot of frozen air. He fell to the ground, no longer breathing.

Alyssa called out, “Drake, Linda, Ryan, make sure that we are not followed! See, I knew that we could do this! We have friends and allies here already and yet more of them may soon be on the way! We are still clear for now, but we MUST hurry!”

As Annika, Alyssa, Leo, Sapphire, Rocco, Sylvester and Zoey headed into the catacombs, Annika hoped that Marcy and Lawrence arrived with help from Greenprairie soon. Marcy always hated missing final showdowns. Annika then refocused herself as her team descended into the torchlit passageways. They and their backup had arrived before their enemies could unseal the Army of Mew. Now, the CAS had to finish the job and make sure that this had not all been in vain. This day was going to decide the fate of the world. Annika knew that she could not let down anyone who had allowed them to get to this point.


	32. Vanessa

As Annika led her CAS Ground Team into the torchlit catacombs beneath the desert shrine, she asked her wife Alyssa, “Aly, how many enemies are you picking up down here?”

As her Mega Evolution wore off, Alyssa replied, “Fifteen total. Eight not far ahead and to our left. Then, four down a bit deeper and three even farther away from us. Vanessa is as the head of the group that is the deepest down. We are going to have to move fast if we want to catch her before she can use the Master Key. We are still clear for now, but I sense intense determination and excitement in Vanessa’s aura.”

Zoey suggested, “We might have a very brief window of opportunity to take Vanessa down even if she is able to use the Master Key and get the vault door open. However, if she gains full control of the Army of Mew and survives, she will be aided by the four Legendary Golems and at least a couple thousand weaker automatons. Even the army that has assembled to aid us outside may not be able to survive such an onslaught.”

Annika nodded as she ordered, “Aly, lead the way downwards as best as you can. These tunnels look wide and tall. Wide and tall enough to fit an advancing column of Pokémon. It looks like the enemy had their hands, and other appendages, full excavating this place even with Zygarde’s help.”

Alyssa nodded and then she took the lead. For the next tense few minutes, the CAS Ground Team delved deeper into the catacombs. Soon, they reached a place where they saw two branching paths, one headed right and one headed left, along with a path heading straight down.

To the left of the ground team down a corridor, they all saw eight Crimson Company Pokémon who appeared to be trying to excavate a side tunnel that had become clogged with sand and rocks. An enemy Crustle pointed to the ground team and began to advance towards them.

Annika sighed and ordered, “Sylvester, Rocco, Zoey, engage those enemies and keep them off of us! I trust that the three of you can hold them off and survive!”

The three CAS members Annika had given her orders to all nodded and then ran towards their advancing enemies. Sylvester opened up with a wide blast of high-pressure water as Zoey began to fire off psychic energy beams and Rocco sprayed the enemy with spikes.

As that battle was joined, Alyssa led Annika, Leo and Sapphire even farther down into the torchlit catacombs. Alyssa mentioned that she would save her Mega Evolution for the confrontation with Vanessa for the time being. Alyssa also added that they were getting closer and closer to Vanessa’s location. For now, she had still not yet managed to unseal the ancient army. However, worryingly, Alyssa now sensed even greater anticipation in Vanessa’s aura. It was growing by the minute.

After a few more minutes of running, Annika, Alyssa, Leo and Sapphire found themselves in a round chamber. There were four entrances to the chamber, one on the right, one on the left, one ahead and one behind the four CAS members. Close to entering the chamber from the right were four more Crimson Company Pokémon on patrol. A female Vileplume was leading them forward.

Leo took a deep breath and then went barreling towards the Vileplume with his back alight, injuring her heavily in one mighty strike. As the enemy reacted, Sapphire fired an intense blast of sparkling water into an enemy Shuckle who was following the Vileplume into battle.

Sapphire told Annika and Alyssa, “I know that you two are not the best ones to engage Vanessa, but you will have to go ahead while we deal with these goons! Good luck ending this!”

As Sapphire advanced into battle, Alyssa told Annika, “We are almost there! We still need to hurry, though. I think that we might only have a few minutes now!”

Annika nodded and then followed Alyssa down deeper into the catacombs. They were now heading down a straight path at full speed. They were going to reach Vanessa before she could unseal the ancient army, or die trying.

At the end of the corridor, Annika saw the entrance to a massive chamber of some sort with another door at the other end. She saw at the center of the final stretch of the corridor a perfectly still whitish-bluish Pokémon that she realized was not a statue. This was the real Regice. However, the Legendary Golem was dormant at the moment and had most likely been so for centuries.

Watching the entrance to the chamber at the end of the corridor were a Ninjask and a Watchog. They were both wearing Crimson Company sashes. As the two enemies advanced on Annika and Alyssa, Annika fired off a blast of frozen air at the Ninjask. He went down in one shot to the head.

Alyssa charged up an Aura Sphere and fired it into the Watchog. She went down from a single sphere to her gut. Now, the way in was clear and Annika could see Vanessa with her back to them inside of the massive chamber.

When Annika and Alyssa entered the chamber, they saw that it was a massive stone room with a ceiling that was so high it was probably buried only a few feet beneath the surface of the desert at most. The motionless Regirock and Registeel flanked the towering Regigigas at the opposite end of the room. Annika assumed that Regigigas would have to smash their way out of the catacombs if awoken. Unless there was some secret way for them to escape the underground tunnels, they would not be able to leave easily. Between the two legs of Regigigas there was a door which still had some sand pooled in front of its lower half. There was not much sand left now. A roughly triangular hole was indented in the ancient door. That had to be where the Master Key was to be inserted.

Vanessa stood alone in the room not far from the door wearing her usual Crimson Company double sash. She held a three-sided object that looked to be made up of the Steel Part and what had to be the Rock and Ice parts in one hand. That had to be the assembled Master Key. As Vanessa turned around, she drew her Mega Stone from her pack and held it in her other hand. She glared daggers at Annika and Alyssa as soon as she spotted them.

Annika shouted at her former friend, “I do not want the future that you say is coming to become a reality, Vanessa! Still, I’ll be damned if I let you go through with your plan! You were a human yourself once, you know.”

Vanessa held onto her Mega Stone and the Master Key and shouted right back, “Arceus dammit, Annika! I gave you a chance to back away and you would not take it! As for why I am here today, despite having once been a human, Lord Zygarde says that I am the chosen one. He believes that some divine providence has picked ME to make this world safe for future generations of Pokémon. I have to live up to what I was chosen to do. I do not pretend to know why you are here as a Pokémon as well, but I will not let you get in the way of the future’s salvation!”

Annika told Vanessa, “There is a lot that you do not know. Still, the Creekside Adventurers’ Society cannot allow you to commit any more atrocities! We have dozens of loyal allies who have come here today just to help us stop you. If we have to take you down, then so be it!”

Vanessa looked Annika in the eyes and told her, “In that case, there is one more thing I must say to you if it has come down to this… I am sorry. Sorry that I stood by and let the others at the orphanage abuse you after you were revealed to be gay. I know that Lord Zygarde would not like me saying this, but you were an innocent victim then. I offered you no comfort and that was cowardly of me. That failure to give you any relief from your abuse has haunted me for years. Now, it has all come down to this. I will not hold back if that is what it takes for me to reach my destiny!”

Annika looked and felt somewhat surprised. She sighed, still poised for action next to her wife. She then returned Vanessa’s look and sternly told her, “Annika and Vanessa could have possibly worked this out peacefully years ago. Now, the heads of the Creekside Adventurers’ Society and the Crimson Company cannot!”

There was no stopping the fight now. As both Vanessa and Alyssa Mega Evolved, Annika leapt into the air as high as she could. She knew that Vanessa’s species were master kickers and wanted to try to get above the range of the Blaziken’s powerful legs and hard-hitting feet. 

As Alyssa advanced on Vanessa, the Mega Blaziken saw Annika coming down towards her and shouted, “You have underestimated me, Annika!” 

Still holding the Master Key in one hand, Vanessa shot up into the air and aimed a fist squarely at Annika. Annika began to arc down towards Vanessa with her claws ready. However, before Annika could get any claw strikes in, Vanessa punched her square in the chest with a powerful uppercut.

Annika was sent flying up higher into the air and then came crashing to the ground. Her entire body was in such deep pain that she could barely move, or even think. She roused all of her willpower to try and stand up, but was only able to get to her knees. Annika was somehow still conscious, but in horrible shape.

As Vanessa landed, Alyssa angrily charged at her with her bone staff ready. The Mega Lucario was now the best hope of taking down the Head of the Crimson Company. While Vanessa was quickly recovering from her landing, Alyssa reached her and pummeled her with a flurry of attacks from her bone staff. The attacks came fast and hard and Vanessa staggered back in pain from the rapid beatings.

Vanessa grimaced at Alyssa as Annika kept trying to channel frozen wind through her claws to help her wife in her desperate fight. The Mega Blaziken then landed two rapid kicks on Alyssa’s stomach, forcing her back and wounding her badly. Thankfully, Alyssa was able to keep coming, but she looked like another hit could take the fight right out of her.

Alyssa closed with Vanessa again and swung her bone staff repeatedly at the Mega Blaziken. However, this time Vanessa was ready. She took one staff hit to the stomach, but dodged all of the other strikes masterfully.

Vanessa looked weakened, but not as heavily as Annika or Alyssa were. She screamed angrily and delivered one solid flaming kick to Alyssa’s stomach. The attack sent the Mega Lucario flying back. She skidded to the ground and ended up trying to stand up right next to Annika.

As Annika and Alyssa both tried to stand up and continue fighting, knowing what could happen if they failed, Vanessa walked over closer to them and said, “I have given you two too many chances already. Now, here is your final chance and I mean it this time. Will you two surrender and watch history being made? Or, will I have to actually kill both of you to get you to stop resisting?”

Annika began to freeze the air between her claws as she kneeled and shouted, “We can’t let you do this, Vanessa! You are not some ‘chosen one’ who has to save this world from humanity!”

Vanessa raised a leg and solemnly said, “I am sorry, Annika. If you won’t give up fighting me, then you will have to die for the sake of the future.”

Suddenly, all three females heard a voice screaming, “Nooooo!” Lydia appeared in the entrance and ran into the chamber at full speed. She then stood defiantly in front of Annika and Alyssa. She angrily told Vanessa, “I won’t let you hurt these two anymore! They have taught me so much and given me a new chance at life! You will have to get through me if you want to attack them again!”

Annika was impressed that Lydia had snuck and ran her way through the battlefield all the way into the chamber beneath the sands. However, she also knew that Vanessa, injured as she was, would never fall to someone like Lydia.

Vanessa shrugged her shoulders and sighed angrily. She told Lydia, “Very well, kid. I guess that you will have to die first then.”

Annika screamed and launched her icy blast at Vanessa’s leg as it lit up with fire. The shot injured Vanessa just enough to force her to put her foot back down on the ground.

As Lydia held her ground with steely eyed determination, Vanessa shouted, “You are only delaying the inevitable! No other help has arrived for you down here! I am the Chosen One! The one who will save this planet’s future!”

As her Mega Evolution wore off, Alyssa chuckled as her aura-sensing organs began to wave rapidly up and down. She said, “I wonder who would know the layout of this place, the vault that houses an army, better than a demigod of war? …”

Vanessa gave Alyssa a confused look and raised her leg again as everyone heard a massive CRASH! It was coming from above them and closer to the vault’s door.

Bursting down through the rocky ceiling was the Legendary Pokémon Lord Zamazenta. He had attacked the ground above the chamber hard enough with his glowing steel mane to break into the chamber below.

As everyone stared up in disbelief, Zamazenta fell towards the floor of the chamber. A male Togedemaru stood up atop of Zamazenta and shouted, “The cavalry has arrived!” Lawrence then sent a massive column of lightning down at Vanessa. The powerful lightning strike shocked Vanessa badly.

As Zamazenta was almost to the floor, Lawrence leapt off of him. He was followed off of Zamazenta by his Absol wife Marcy, who was in the process of Mega Evolving. They had ridden Zamazenta into battle together and were now ready for action.

Vanessa recovered from the mighty zap she had received and advanced on the new arrivals angrily. Zamazenta hit the ground hard and was stunned by the impact. He remained conscious thanks to his nigh-impenetrable hide, but needed a minute or two to recover from his fall.

As Vanessa’s Mega Evolution wore off, Annika grinned when she saw that Marcy had fully Mega Evolved and had leapt into action. Marcy called out, “I was NOT about to miss this final showdown!”

Vanessa and Marcy charged right for each other. Marcy dodged one kick from Vanessa and then withstood a second. Vanessa shouted, “You all will not stop me! You cannot! The consequences of my failure would be too dire to fathom!”

Marcy charged up her head scythe with psychic energy and told Vanessa, “I know everything that you have done! You are through today!” Marcy sliced into Vanessa from right shoulder to left hip with one mighty swipe of her head scythe. The Blaziken fell to her hands and knees and dropped the Master Key.

Annika laughed with joy as Vanessa had finally been defeated. Alyssa stood up as Lydia helped Annika up with her extended vines. Alyssa then saw Vanessa trying as hard as she could to reach the Master Key. The Lucario pointed out, “They say that the three key parts are all indestructible. I have wondered if that holds true when they are all put together. I do not know if anyone should have the sort of power the Army of Mew could provide them with.”

Vanessa’s eyes widened as Alyssa managed to charge and fire an Aura Sphere into the Master Key. The ancient artifact exploded into a shower of small pieces as the energy held within it was released in a small blast.

Annika was healed by Alyssa as tears welled up in Vanessa’s eyes and she fell to her stomach. The Blaziken screamed, “Annika! You and your ilk have doomed this world! Why can’t you see what you have done? The Pokémon of the future will curse all of your names!”

Vanessa had expended almost the last of her energy. As Zamazenta began to recover from being stunned, Marcy stood next to the defeated Vanessa and smiled as she declared, “We got here just in time!” she then asked her leader, “Annika, what should we do with her?”

Annika walked over to Vanessa as Lawrence kept his eyes on the fading Blaziken. Alyssa said, as she followed her wife over, “I can sense Leo and Sapphire making their way over here. They are both injured, but still able to fight. I sense that the trio we left behind them has also narrowly survived their battle. They are on their way down here as well.”

Vanessa was having trouble keeping her eyes open as she could not even glare up at Annika effectively now. Annika looked over to Alyssa as she pointed to Vanessa. She asked her wife, “Will she die from her wounds?”

Alyssa replied, “Her aura is fading. She is barely maintaining consciousness now. She will likely die soon if nothing prevents it.”

As Marcy, Lawrence and Lydia watched and Leo and Sapphire finally reached the chamber and breathed sighs of relief, Annika took out the draining cuffs that had once bound Alyssa from her pack. Annika told Alyssa, “Heal her if it seems like she is about to die.”

Annika told the barely conscious Vanessa, “I won’t let you die, Vanessa. I will return your favor and show you mercy. However, I will bring you to justice. You will see what we are going to do to bring about a better future without engaging in acts of murderous barbarism.”

Annika locked one of the cuffs around one of Vanessa’s wrists. With some help from Lawrence and Lydia, she grabbed Vanessa’s other wrist and locked the second cuff onto it. Vanessa’s wrists were now bound behind her back.

As Zamazenta stood up and the footsteps of the three other incoming CAS members could be heard not that far away, Alyssa channeled a small healing pulse into Vanessa. The cuffed Blaziken was still not fully conscious as her pack was removed.

As the rest of the CAS Ground Team entered the chamber and gasped with surprise and relief, Annika and Alyssa hoisted their prisoner to her feet. Marcy said, as her Mega Evolution wore off, “Annika is showing mercy, even to such a vile foe. I am not surprised, considering her record.”

Alyssa said, as Vanessa held her head low and said nothing, “The battle outside is winding down. Lady Articuno has slain Zygarde with Lady Suicune’s help. Zygarde’s surviving troops are now in full retreat. We should be heading up there now. This vault may be opened one day. However, nobody will be able to wield total command over the Pokémon who rest within it now.”

Annika nodded as the cuffed and exhausted Vanessa was marched up and out of the tunnels with the CAS members and Zamazenta right behind her. When the nine adventurers, Lydia and Zamazenta emerged from the catacombs into the sunlight, with their prisoner marched ahead of them, they soon saw the final few other survivors of the Crimson Company surrendering to their allies. The battle had been won and the anti-human menace looked like it would soon be no more. Once again, the Creekside Adventurers’ Society had been key to stopping a major crisis. With any luck, there would be no stopping Annika’s ambitions for her organization now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, all that is left of this story and this trilogy is the epilogue chapter. I also wanted to remind my readers that this story is not the end of this series. The first spin-off story in this series, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: In the Wake of Eternity, will hopefully begin posting one week after this very chapter is posted. I will also mention here that, even though I will not yet guarantee its completion and posting, I have been working on writing a second spin-off for this series. That story will be a pseudo-sequel to Wake of Eternity, but will feature a different main protagonist. I will have to see if that second spin-off will be completed and posted in due time. I will finish this note by saying that as of now, I only plan to write and post a maximum of three spin-off stories for this series. That way, the spin-offs will not end up outnumbering the main trilogy’s stories when I complete the series. Thank you all for reading so far as always.


	33. Epilogue: The Grand Guild of Adventurers

As the cleanup after the battle for the shrine took place, a couple of things became clear to Annika. For one, Articuno had appeared on the battlefield with Zapdos and Moltres because Princess Nia had found her and implored her for aid. Nia having mentioned Annika and Alyssa needing help was what had convinced Articuno to locate her two siblings at their island homes to the southwest and lead them into the fight.

Zamazenta had ended up rendezvousing with the small force of around twenty that Marcy and Lawrence were bringing from Greenprairie Village. He had carried Marcy and Lawrence into battle after remembering what strong fighters they were from the conflict with the CTO. After arriving near the shrine and learning what was going on in the battle from the airborne Drake and Ryan, they had quickly devised their plan to “crash the party” below. They had been thinking that even if there was nobody in the chamber, they could at least try to head the enemy off there.

After all of the appropriate introductions were made, including introducing Lydia to Marcy and Lawrence and vice versa, the Legendary Birds and Beasts left having done their part to ensure the allied victory. Zacian and Zamazenta were both intending to return to the Adalsian Continent with the Shawlians and the others from that area who had come to participate in the battle. Saladin had certainly proved his worth as an ally and contact of the CAS again by rallying their allies in the south to come north and aid them in their moment of great need.

Eliza and her SAL members were able to meet up with their former head of research Riccardo, who had been living in Anetisia as Nia’s Royal Consort. Annika could not help but be pleased to see everyone who had come to help put a stop to the Crimson Company and their backer Zygarde.

That evening, at the series of camps set up and occupied by the victors of the battle, Annika and Alyssa decided to speak with the captured and bound Vanessa in private. Annika told her former friend about how she knew that the ancient Legendary Pokémon Palkia had been the one responsible for her transformation. She also believed that Vanessa had also been transformed by Palkia. However, Palkia had never shown up to turn Vanessa back into a human and send her home. That could have been because Palkia had thought it unnecessary after seeing how happy Annika was in Creekside. Vanessa had remained silent the whole time. Alyssa told Annika that the Blaziken had heard everything that Annika had said. However, she was still so in shock from being defeated so close to her moment of triumph that she had nothing to say in reply for the moment.

Nia’s northern forces, which had included Pokémon from Twopeak Town and other settlements in that vicinity, set off for home the next morning. The other forces that had arrived at the shrine all set off together for the town at the southern edge of the badlands. They would split up after reaching Creekside with everyone determined to get back home and spread news of their victory. The question of what would become of the Dominion of Zygarde was still up in the air. However, Annika was now confident that if any forces were thrown their way by the Dominion in the future, they would be defeated by Creekside and her allies. 

The CEF returned to Creekside Town and split up with their allies who had accompanied them on the way back. After that, the surviving members of the Crimson Company who had been captured at the end of the battle were imprisoned. They were to be kept in the dungeon beneath the government district of the town. Of all of them, only Vanessa was given a life sentence. Even though they were transferred to keep her hands bound in front of her back, Vanessa was never to have her draining restraints removed. The key to her cuffs was even kept by Annika in her house, far away from the dungeon, just to be safe.

Following the death of Zygarde, his Dominion began to politically crumble. The various mortal nobles across the Dominion’s lands began to squabble with each other in ways that they would not have with Zygarde still in power. Even though some of the nobles would have wanted to avenge their Lord’s death, they all knew that starting a war with Creekside would pull in the town’s matrix of allies. That sort of drawn-out conflict would be good for nobody in the end, regardless of who, if anyone, did claim victory. Therefore, Zygarde’s death went unavenged. The soldiers fighting under him who had retreated from the battle went home and were not sent south again.

After their allies were sent on their ways to return to their respective homes, Saladin returned to his stall in Creekside’s market. He now had the sincere appreciation and thanks of the local community on account of his successfully rallying of the Adalsian reinforcements that had arrived just in time.

Lydia was allowed to stay at the CAS Base for the time being. She was also allowed to continue working as the intern for the society for the moment. However, she would now be paid and she would be working towards becoming a full member of the CAS in due time. Eventually, she hoped to get her own home, or at least a permanent stay in an inn room. She remained grateful to her mentors, Annika and Alyssa, along with the rest of the CAS, for her second chance at a fulfilling life.

Zoey and Sylvester decided to get married soon after the defeat of the Crimson Company and went to Izpuk in order to do so with Zoey’s family present. Sylvester’s family went along with them to see him marry Zoey. Zoey’s family, the residents of Izpuk and their human guests were all very relieved to hear that the anti-human threat had now been dealt with. The local humans were now able to return to their lives, even though they remained grateful that the Pokémon of Izpuk had sheltered them in their time of greatest need. Zoey and Sylvester decided to return to Creekside Town and the CAS soon after their wedding. Zoey promised that she would do her best to keep in touch with her family this time.

Marcy and Lawrence ended their leave period and returned to active duty within a few months of having saved Annika, Alyssa and Lydia at the desert shrine. Marcy’s undying loyalty to Annika had once again shown through, as it had during the Battle of Mount Galtia.

Captain Jacopo and his crew continued to sail the high seas and benefitted from having associated with the famed CAS. Their aid had ensured that the CAS members had gotten back to the Grand Island in time for the final battle with the Crimson Company and their backers.

Phira, the human girl who’s narrow survival had begun the whole quest, was able to return to the site of her former village. More humans were invited to repopulate the place with better defenses than before. Phira was adopted by a new family. The government of Arasia made sure to initiate a mutual defense agreement with the repopulated village to avoid future tragedies. This time, they would be better to their human neighbors and make sure that they were there for them if the need ever arose.

The old innkeeper Kahun and his staff only realized that they had been housing such distinguished guests after the news of the Crimson Company’s defeat spread. They were honored in retrospect to have housed such important Pokémon and had been a little horrified to have realized what the Crimson Company was really up to after Vanessa had left the vicinity.

As for Annika and the rest of the CAS, they began working on founding the Grand Guild of Adventurers, as Annika called it. They were able to secure some loans and some new recruits to found new offices in Greenprairie, Dralka and Twopeak at first. With Princess Nia and her Royal Consort Riccardo’s help, they founded an office in Anetisia’s small capital as well.

Rocco left Creekside Town to become the head of the Guild’s Twopeak Office nearby his old home of Caverndeep Village. While most of the CAS members stayed at the main office, Marcy and Lawrence went to Greenprairie with their daughter Ava to help get that office off the ground and Sylvester and Zoey went to Dralka to help get that office running.

As the Guild established more offices and recruited more Pokémon from the offices that they had already established, some offices were founded outside of the Grand Island. The SAL became an associated organization of the Guild, but remained officially separate from it. Annika became the Guildmistress of the whole operation with Alyssa as her Vice-Guildmistress.

As they were getting their new operation off the ground, Alyssa admitted to Annika that she had begun to realize that she was attracted to those with strong leadership and organizational skills. Alyssa had served her former master, Hierophant Lucius, before his evil had been revealed to her because of how impressive his ability to found and mobilize his own religion had been to her. Her more intimate attraction to Annika could have come about in part due to how impressed Alyssa had been, and still was, with Annika’s ability to have founded and managed the CAS and now their Guild. Regardless, Alyssa still was as sure as ever that she could trust her wife to do what was best. 

Ryan became the official liaison between Creekside Town and the Guild, as he had been the liaison between the CAS and the local government before. Drake and Linda stayed on as members of the Guild’s main team in Creekside Town. Drake was put in charge of mercenary affairs and temporary contracting for the Guild. His job would be to help manage any temporary workers the Guild hired for any reason. Linda became one of the Guild’s main couriers, helping to quickly ferry messages between the offices and their clients. Leo became the Guild’s treasurer, while his wife Sapphire became the head of logistics and supplies for the organization. Their daughter Leona became a Guild intern like Linda and Lydia had done before her. Lydia ended up moving and becoming the head of the Greenprairie Office after Marcy and Lawrence returned to Creekside Town. Sylvester and Zoey stayed in Dralka Town to continue to head up the Guild Office there for the foreseeable future.

Every once in a while, Annika would visit Vanessa in prison, with or without Alyssa. At first the formerly-human Blaziken would not say anything to Annika. However, later on she began to make proclamations of the future doom of Pokémon civilization that she had been trying to prevent. She told Annika that she had allowed her compassion to become too universal. Annika replied by saying that she wanted a bright future to be built with humans and Pokémon working together as equals. She knew that the world’s civilizations would not thrive if humans and Pokémon acted as bitter enemies and constantly competed with each other. As time wore on, Vanessa began to actually talk with Annika about their pasts and the two of them learned about each other’s earlier adventures. Still, Vanessa never apologized for her crimes against humanity. She would never “forgive” the humans and she still believed that Pokémon were better than them in every way. Annika, for her part, just did her best to let Vanessa know the ways that her guild was trying to help both humans and Pokémon. She was going to try and stop the dark future that Vanessa had predicted from coming to pass. However, she would try to stop it through spreading hope and friendship, not hatred and animosity.

\---

It had been decades since the defeat of the Crimson Company. Annika, the Guildmistress of the Grand Guild of Adventurers, was getting older. However, the formerly-human Weavile was still keeping the Guild she had founded atop the solid foundation that the CAS had created running. She still lived in Creekside with her wife Alyssa. They had a larger house now, but they still lived together and were still very much in love.

The last night, Annika had had a strange dream, it had told her to come to a spot just outside of Creekside that she had envisioned perfectly. There was a large fallen tree there that marked the spot effectively. Somehow, Annika remembered and trusted the female voice that had been calling to her in the dream.

Annika and Alyssa were to have dinner with their old mentee Lydia that night. She was in town and had wanted to meet up with them. Annika had taken the day off from work and left her wife in charge of the Guild’s Main Office. She had promised Alyssa, who she still frequently called Aly, that she would be back easily in time for their dinner with Lydia. 

Now, Annika was walking out to the spot where the fallen tree lay. When Annika arrived, she found a small rock across from the tree, that was also nearby a pond, to sit down on. As she sat and looked at her reflection in the pond, she turned away from the fallen tree.

Annika heard a loud noise and partially turned around while still sitting. She saw the massive draconic form of Palkia sitting down on the fallen tree. The massive, ancient, reptilian seemed to be smiling over at her.

As Annika turned to fully face Palkia, the first daughter of Arceus told her, “Obviously, I have not come to send you ‘home’ this time. You have no reason to fear my presence here now.”

Annika asked Palkia, staying reasonably calm, “Why are you here then?”

Palkia replied, “I came to check in on you after being away for a few decades after we stopped Eternatus. Before I manifested myself fully, I was able to gather what had happened with Vanessa…”

Annika interjected, “So, was it you that sent her here and turned her into a Torchic?”

Palkia nodded and replied, “Yes, I sent both of you here to deal with different menaces and to hopefully teach you both some lessons about friendship. After seeing how happy you were in Creekside, I decided that this world was better with you in it as a Pokémon. I was proven right about that at Mount Galtia. I thought that after seeing how well things had turned out for you, I would return to Dialga and our hunt for Arceus and leave Vanessa in this world without bothering her. Even after the defeat of Eternatus, I did not check in with her. That was a terrible mistake. I should have sent her home before she became the fanatic that you faced off against and later defeated.”

Annika sighed and admitted, “So, even gods can make mistakes, as I have believed for some time. The evidence continues to mount for that truth.”

Palkia sighed as well and admitted, “Vanessa was yet another mistake on my part. Another terrible one to be sure. However, I am going to do the best that I can do to keep trying to be better and not make another mistake like her again. I know that I can do better because I am sitting across from one of my greatest successes, the one who led the charge to stop her.”

Annika blushed and replied, “You mean me, don’t you?”

Palkia nodded and said, “Who else is here? I was hoping that both you and Vanessa could become heroines, Annika. You were both arguably ‘chosen ones.’ However, you were the one who became the beloved heroine while Vanessa became the despised villainess. She will have to spend the rest of her days rotting in that dungeon for her crimes. You did the right thing by stopping her and making her face justice. You are a good person, Annika. Any world needs people like you in order to give it hope.”

Annika smiled and nodded back at Palkia, who then mentioned, “Dialga and I believe that we are closing in on Arceus. We will hopefully find them and bring them home to their first creation within the next decade. Once that is done, I do not know what will come next. Regardless, I will keep trying to be better and I know that you will too. You really have made the most of the second chance that I gave you.”

Annika nodded and stood up, with tears welling up in her eyes. She told Palkia, “I will keep trying to do you proud every day.”

Palkia nodded and saluted Annika. She then finished, “I must be off now. I will leave this world in the hands of you and your comrades. You have done your best and I know that you will keep doing so until your dying day. Goodbye, Annika and good luck with everything.”

Annika saluted Palkia back and told her, “Good luck to you as well. Find Arceus and make sure that they make right whatever they need to. Goodbye, Palkia and thank you for the life that you gave me!”

Palkia rapidly warped out of the dimension in a flash of pinkish-purplish light. The last thing that Annika saw of Palkia was her smiling down at the Weavile Guildmistress.

Annika stood up and then make the short walk back into Creekside. She was headed home to tell Alyssa what had transpired. Then, they would prepare for their dinner out with Lydia.

As Annika neared her home, she knew that she would keep doing all that she could with her second chance for the rest of her life. She, Alyssa and all of the friends they had made along their way would make their world a better place.

Future generations of both Pokémon and humans would hopefully thank them. However, that was not why they did what they did. They had done all that they had done because it was who they were. They would not stop, even if they slowed down a bit. To so many out there, the Guild was more than just a business, it was a symbol of hope. They were going to keep working to live up to that reputation ever day. That would make everything worthwhile. Hope would be the legacy that they were going to leave to future generations.

 _Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: In the Wake of Fate_ : THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The saga of the Creekside Adventurers’ Society is now concluded. Annika and company were characters I initially really did not expect to return to writing about after the initial writing and posting of Wake of Legends. However, I am ultimately quite glad that I expanded their story into a full trilogy, even if it took me another three years to get around to doing so. However, just because the CAS Trilogy is complete does not mean that this series is complete yet. The first spin-off for this series, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: In the Wake of Eternity, is set to begin posting within a week after this story’s posting concludes. I hope that all, or at least many, of those who read this far check out that story as well. Wake of Eternity takes place a year after the main ending of this story, but well before the final scene of the epilogue. Anyway, thank you all for reading and for leaving kudos, positive comments and bookmarks if applicable. I hope that you all enjoyed the main trilogy of my second PMD-inspired fanfic series.


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